KING HENRY INSPIRES BALLYHALE
Words of warning inspire Ballyhale’s final flourish
BACK in October of 2017, Henry Shefflin’s last season as a player with Ballyhale Shamrocks, they were torn asunder by James Stephens in the Kilkenny SHC.
Ballyhale had led at half-time in that county semi-final only to be outscored by 16 points in the second half.
At half-time in yesterday’s All-Ireland club decider, despite being five points up and in a strong position, rookie manager Shefflin still sensed his players had more in them and so he reminded them of that difficult day in the autumn of 2017.
Truth be told, the Kilkenny great was thinking about that game beforehand and how he might use it to his advantage as part of a ‘game of inches’ style speech to inspire a record seventh All-Ireland win.
‘It was just something I’d thought of in the lead-up to the match, that 18 months ago when I was in that dressing-room myself, we were six points ahead in the county semi-final at halftime and we ended up losing the second-half by 16 points,’ said Shefflin.
‘Anyone walking out of Nowlan Park that day would have said, “Jesus, I don’t know about these lads”. So it’s been an amazing turnaround. And wasn’t it great to use that today at half-time, to say, “Lads, that’s where you were and look where you are now”.’
It was a clever move from a new manager making a huge impression on the game and one that clearly inspired his players.
Led superbly by Colin Fennelly, who sniped 2-4 overall from the full-forward position, the Leinster champions cut through St Thomas like a hot knife through butter in that second-half, reeling off bursts of six and then seven points without reply.
Kilkenny may have slipped back in recent seasons but Brian Cody must be licking his lips now at the prospect of some of these Ballyhale players stepping up to senior county level.
Fennelly and TJ Reid, who struck 2-13 between them, are well established but Adrian Mullen looks like a genuine star in the making.
A former Kilkenny minor sensation, himself and young guns Dean Mason, Evan Shefflin and Eoin Cody have taken the club championship by storm this season.
St Thomas’, champions as recently as 2013, were still in the game at half-time despite leaking two goals to Fennelly, but the Galway side had no answer when Ballyhale upped the ante.
‘I think they just believed,’ said Shefflin of his younger players.
‘That belief is there that if they get an opportunity they’ll take it. And at the same time, they’re great players. No different to the St Thomas’ lads.
‘And when you have Michael Fennelly and Colin Fennelly and Joey Holden and TJ Reid working harder than probably anyone else, then what you are going to do only follow them. That’s the template you have to follow and that’s probably the secret to it.
‘It’s just about putting in that work and the hours and hours of practice.
‘You imagine all the kids in Ballyhale today, what do they want to do tomorrow morning? They want to go and hurl.’
Captain Michael Fennelly dedicated the win to Eoin Doyle, their former colleague who passed away following an accident last year. One of his old jerseys was hanging in the dressing-room at Croke Park.
Shefflin reckons Doyle was ‘watching down over us’ and he would have been satisfied with the performance he witnessed. After just five minutes, Ballyhale led 1-4 to 0-1 and, while St Thomas’ fought back to level terms, it was a brief insurgence.
Fennelly’s second goal in the 22nd minute propelled Ballyhale back into pole position and they led 2-10 to 1-8 at half-time.
St Thomas’ weren’t helped by the absence of county man Eanna Burke from their attack after a knock in training. Darragh Burke clipped a point for St Thomas’ to leave just four in it early in the second-half but it was all downhill for them from there as Ballyhale hit 12 of the next 13 points. In the end, they had 10 different scorers and were splitting the posts for fun from all sorts of angles.
BALLYHALE SHAMROCKS: D Mason; D Mullen (K Mullen 58), J Holden, B Butler; E Shefflin, M Fennelly (G Butler 60), R Reid; P Mullen, R Corcoran (C Walsh 54); A Mullen, TJ Reid, B Cody; E Reid (M Aylward 42), C Fennelly, E Cody (J Cuddihy 58).
Yellow cards: D Mullen 10, C Fennelly 30. Scorers: C Fennelly 2-4; TJ Reid 0-9 (5f); A Mullen 0-5; E Cody, B Cody, P Mullen 0-2 each; R Reid, E Shefflin, R Corcoran, M Aylward 0-1 each.
Wides: 4. ST THOMAS’: G Murray; C Mahoney, S Skehill, C Burke; D Cooney, S Cooney, F Burke (M Caulfield 49); J Regan (C Fallon 52), David Burke; Darragh Burke, C Cooney, D Sherry (C Kelly 56); B Burke, B Farrell, D McGlynn (D Finnerty 60). Scorers: Darragh Burke 0-7 (6f); C Cooney (pen), David Burke 1-0 each; D McGlynn, J Regan, B Burke, B Farrell 0-1 each. Wides: 10. Referee: F Horgan (Tipperary).