Henry Shefflin Retires

bruschi

Fully deserving of a thread dedicated to him.

A great player, leader and inspiration to not only Kilkenny fans, but hurling and sporting fans everywhere.

Best of luck to him for the future, and a massive congratulations to him on a superb career.

DoctaDee

Yup 100% agreed, anything I'd add to that would be superfluous

STIG83

Some player, many hearts he broke in Waterford when we played against KK over the years.

PropJoe10

Probably the greatest hurler thats ever lived. Good luck Henry, from a proud Wexfordman!

IrishAlice

It really feels like the end of an era for me. He's been there since the very first Kilkenny game I ever went to.

It's been a pleasure to watch him play and even if I wasn't from Kilkenny I'd feel the same way!

iDave

Long live the King

castletownman

Despite my county being on the receiving end of his and Kilkenny's mastery for more times I care to remember, I am still saddened by the announcement, as inevitable and all as it is.

Undoubtedly (in my eyes anyway) the greatest GAA player of all time, and deservedly belongs in the pantheon of Irish sporting greats.

Absolutely smashing way to end an inter-county career, finishing as he did on the magically round, and scarcely believable figure of ten AI medals. It brings to mind a player from my own county, George O'Connor, whose last ever game of hurling brought him his first AI medal after eighteen years of slog. Some contrasts.

It's the mark of the man that there has never been a bad word spoken of him in the ultra parochial and tribal world of GAA, only admiration for his skill, success, toughness and durability.

Thanks for the memories and class Henry. I know of a nice retirement village in Wexford here with a house to rent, if you want to throw on the purple and gold for a year

toxicity234

legend
Best of luck to him.

bruschi

"It is with a deep sense of gratitude and personal contentment that I am announcing today that I am bringing to an end my inter-county playing career with the Kilkenny Senior Hurling Team.
"When I reflect back over the past 16 years playing the game that I love, at the highest level with Kilkenny, it is impossible to quantify the endless hours of happiness, satisfaction and fulfilment I have enjoyed. The various challenges I experienced along the way became opportunities for me to develop as a person both on and off the field of play.
"I will always be eternally grateful to the numerous people who have encouraged and supported me in my pursuit of my sporting dreams.
"To my wife Deirdre, my parents, brothers and sisters I owe a huge debt of gratitude. Only they really know the many sacrifices they have made on my behalf.
"My club mentors in Ballyhale Shamrocks and my former teachers instilled in me not only a love of hurling but also the importance of developing the skills of the game.
"Brian Cody has been part of my senior inter-county career from the beginning and I benefitted greatly from his guidance and support. I thank him and his management teams for the huge role they have played in the success I have enjoyed.
"I am grateful to Ned Quinn and the Kilkenny County Board for their leadership and especially for all they have done for me over the years.
"I wish to thank the GPA for all they do on behalf of myself and inter-county players.
"Sincere thanks also to my employer Bank of Ireland for facilitating me in every way possible during my career.
"The support I have received from Kilkenny supporters and from the GAA family all over Ireland in good times and in challenging times has been a humbling experience and made me realise how lucky and privileged I am.
"Hurling is and always will be part of who I am. I now look forward to continue to play with my club Ballyhale Shamrocks and supporting Kilkenny Hurling teams for many years to come."

TheBigGreen

Great player to watch live. All good things come to an end.

Was a media event necessary though?

Realt Dearg Sec

TheBigGreen wrote: »

Great player to watch live. All good things come to an end.

Was a media event necessary though?

Yes.

krazyklown

Genuinely saddened to think we wont see Henry in the black and amber again. He has been a personal hero, he epitomises everything you would want in a hurler - skill, physique, intelligence, leadership and humility. I cannot imagine the sacrifices he made to have such a lengthy and glorious career. Leader of an incredible team that has given us so many unforgettable moments.

blue note

Congratulations to him on such a distinguished career and the very best of luck to him in his retirement. I think it's meaningless to comment on 125 years of hurlers we haven't seen, but from what I've seen he's undoubtedly one of the best.

It's an incredible medal and all star haul that he's retiring with. So often we've seen all time great players retire and see people comment that they should have won more. It's great that he was lucky enough to be born into a team with so many other great players as well. So much so in fact, that I've seen lots of posts and pictures quote his All Stars, HOTY, and club and county All Irelands. 13 intercounty Leinster titles doesn't seem to be a big enough deal when listing his achievements!

padd b1975

I wouldn't be a regular at hurling matches by any means, but have been fortunate to see both him and DJ several times in their prime.

One thing I noticed was the buzz of electricity that went through the crowd whenever DJ got within a sniff of goal, something that didn't happen quite to the same extent with Shefflin.

Definitely more gra for DJ amongst Kilkenny people I would suspect.

Some stack of honours having said that though!!

Tombo2001

padd b1975 wrote: »

I wouldn't be a regular at hurling matches by any means, but have been fortunate to see both him and DJ several times in their prime.

One thing I noticed was the buzz of electricity that went through the crowd whenever DJ got within a sniff of goal, something that didn't happen quite to the same extent with Shefflin.

Definitely more gra for DJ amongst Kilkenny people I would suspect.

Some stack of honours having said that though!!

I would dispute that.

If I was comparing the two, I'd talk I suppose about how much KK as a team missed Shefflin when he wasn't there; I don't think you could say the same about DJ.

I would agree that in years to come, there will be more dramatic youtube reels of DJ than of Henry.

But you cant capture so easily on TV something like positional sense. It was unreal the way Shefflin could find space off the ball. That's about intelligence rather than skill. Incidentally Donal Og did a great analysis piece that's on youtube that is all about shefflins off the ball work.

Probably my favourite Shefflin match was the one against Galway when the last ten minutes of the first half, he took over the centre forward spot and just marshalled the troops, telling everyone where to stand, who to mark, when to pass. He was the man who ran the show, and this was in addition to his own play and he won some magnificent high ball and scored some really important points that day. He had a similar impact in the second half of the 2009 final. That sort of stuff isn't captured well in camera.

Against that, when he went off the pitch in 2010, Kilkenny were without a leader. They had no one to replace him. They do now. But back then he was hugely important to the team.

on the river

he will sit at the pantheon of not only all the great hurlers, but great irish sportsmen from any era. a great player, role model and above all a gentleman. thanks for the memories Henry. the king of kings

MfMan

Where was the thread for JJ or Tommy Walsh?

Greatest ever? Dunno. Ring, Doyle, Mackey would have played when the game was much tougher and refereeing more laissez faire but the competition wouldn't have been as fierce then nor standards as high I'd imagine. However, fitness levels had to be higher in modern times and there was a greater level of competition with more counties being involved at top level in latter years.
Greatest ever? JJ was more consistent, Walsh more brilliant, DJ more dangerous, Ken McGrath more inspiring, Joe Cooney, Joe Canning, English, Eoin Kelly etc. far more skillful. Perhaps his greatness lay in his ability to organise a team around him, to get the best out of those players, to make the play and make them play. He could also be counted on to put up his hand (often literally) when things were going against his team.
Greatest ever? Most successful, yes; maintaining high standards, year in, year out, yes; ability to lift a team, yes. Most skillful, explosive, scoring threat, no.
Greatest ever? You pays your money, you takes your chances. Slightly inclined to no meself....

Realt Dearg Sec

MfMan wrote: »

Where was the thread for JJ or Tommy Walsh?

.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057339346

You're welcome.

bruschi

MfMan wrote: »

Where was the thread for JJ or Tommy Walsh?

Greatest ever? Dunno. Ring, Doyle, Mackey would have played when the game was much tougher and refereeing more laissez faire but the competition wouldn't have been as fierce then nor standards as high I'd imagine. However, fitness levels had to be higher in modern times and there was a greater level of competition with more counties being involved at top level in latter years.
Greatest ever? JJ was more consistent, Walsh more brilliant, DJ more dangerous, Ken McGrath more inspiring, Joe Cooney, Joe Canning, English, Eoin Kelly etc. far more skillful. Perhaps his greatness lay in his ability to organise a team around him, to get the best out of those players, to make the play and make them play. He could also be counted on to put up his hand (often literally) when things were going against his team.
Greatest ever? Most successful, yes; maintaining high standards, year in, year out, yes; ability to lift a team, yes. Most skillful, explosive, scoring threat, no.
Greatest ever? You pays your money, you takes your chances. Slightly inclined to no meself....

here is JJ's thread
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057339346

Here is Tommy's thread
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=93116877

Dirty Dingus McGee

Glad he has retired from playing for Kilkenny as he looked off the pace over the last couple of years and it's sad to see a great player being made look bad by inferior opponents.

The only think I disliked about his career were the eejits in the media whoe referred to him as King Henry.Probably the most cringe inducing nickname I've ever heard (although nicknames being used by commentators is cringe inducing in general)

MfMan

bruschi wrote: »

here is JJ's thread
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057339346

Here is Tommy's thread
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=93116877

I stand corrected.

deadybai

Fireball07

He's certainly the greatest I've ever seen, he had it all. Just pure intelligence, brilliant decision-making, an ability to drive on a team even at a young age... first touch, ball-winning ability, strength, pace, work rate, ability to scrap on the ground and in the air; scored frees, scored goals, scored points, left side, right side, batting, picked out passes, pulled defenders out of position.


But age catches up with even the greatest, best to retire on a high, than have your reputation even slightly tarnished. Last year, bar against Dublin & maybe Galway, he wasn't that effective but still gave the crowd a lift.

MfMan

MfMan wrote: »

Greatest ever? Dunno.

Most successful, yes... But id agree with you, I don't think he was anywhere near the greatest.

I think his success is playing too much of a part in that assessment.

He had the fortune of playing at the right time as well in terms of the AIs... Lads like DJ came too early and R.Hogan too late.

Being a free taker always pushes the stock up too and that fizzled out a few years ago while he was still starting.

I don't think he'd be able to carry a Galway or Waterford like Mullane and Canning have had to do, he's been blessed to have 5 outstanding players around him which is why they won so much, there was little in the way of weak links.

He's obviously a fantastic player, and has been one of the best of this century but he's not the greatest player..... However he is the most successful and nobody can deny that.

longshotvalue

gilberto_eire wrote: »

Most successful, yes... But id agree with you, I don't think he was anywhere near the greatest.

I think his success is playing too much of a part in that assessment.

He had the fortune of playing at the right time as well in terms of the AIs... Lads like DJ came too early and R.Hogan too late.

Being a free taker always pushes the stock up too and that fizzled out a few years ago while he was still starting.

I don't think he'd be able to carry a Galway or Waterford like Mullane and Canning have had to do, he's been blessed to have 5 outstanding players around him which is why they won so much, there was little in the way of weak links.

He's obviously a fantastic player, and has been one of the best of this century but he's not the greatest player..... However he is the most successful and nobody can deny that.

Saying hes not he greatest and mentioning Mullane (who in fairness i have great time for) and Canning is a bit of a laugh. Canning is the most inconsistent of the lot ( with flashes of brilliance obviously). I would say Henry did a lot of carrying in his time, his combination of distribution and aggression & scoring was light years ahead of anyone I've seen and he is probably a decent percentage of the reason for kilkennys success, he increased the usefulness of other forwards by his excellence. The 2 times he was out over the years with injury or sending off had a huge effect on the game. i.e. Tipp 2010 & Cork Semi 2013.

In addition to all that he had to deal with being in the eye of the storm for most matches over the last 15 years and probably made the game easier for other forwards.

A stunning player who probably improved each year until very recently..

adrian522

gilberto_eire wrote: »

I don't think he'd be able to carry a Galway or Waterford like Mullane and Canning have had to do, he's been blessed to have 5 outstanding players around him which is why they won so much, there was little in the way of weak links.

Yeah, I'd say he'd really struggle to win no All Irelands like those 2 managed.

Cen taurus

When you gotta go, you gotta go.

Kenajonn

gilberto_eire wrote: »

Most successful, yes... But id agree with you, I don't think he was anywhere near the greatest.

I think his success is playing too much of a part in that assessment.

He had the fortune of playing at the right time as well in terms of the AIs... Lads like DJ came too early and R.Hogan too late.

Being a free taker always pushes the stock up too and that fizzled out a few years ago while he was still starting.

I don't think he'd be able to carry a Galway or Waterford like Mullane and Canning have had to do, he's been blessed to have 5 outstanding players around him which is why they won so much, there was little in the way of weak links.

He's obviously a fantastic player, and has been one of the best of this century but he's not the greatest player..... However he is the most successful and nobody can deny that.

The two players you say have carried Galway and Waterford to exactly what? Henry was the greatest player I have ever seen not just his skill but for his team play. Obviously you did not see Kilkenny vs Galway 2012 where he dragged Kilkenny back from the brink.

Kilkennyfella

Kenajonn wrote: »

The two players you say have carried Galway and Waterford to exactly what? Henry was the greatest player I have ever seen not just his skill but for his team play. Obviously you did not see Kilkenny vs Galway 2012 where he dragged Kilkenny back from the brink.

Having seen nearly all Henry's Championship games in the flesh, that one will stay with me forever. A truly brilliant example of leadership on the field.

Eaglebridie 32

I will always remember, as long as I live, his 2nd half performance in the 2012 drawn AI final versus Galway. On a day when most of the Kilkenny players underperformed, he almost single handed got them a draw that day. I've no doubt that it was what inspired his team-mates into winning the replay

Gone but never forgotten!

T0001

This should be a happy occasion, a time to celebrate one of the greater hurlers and we were privilidged to see him all the way!! Wishing him the best of luck in the future!

Diabhal Beag

The best sports person I've ever seen bar none. One of those people you'll brag about how many times you saw him play in the skin when you're 90.

Kenajonn

Kenajonn wrote: »

The two players you say have carried Galway and Waterford to exactly what? Henry was the greatest player I have ever seen not just his skill but for his team play. Obviously you did not see Kilkenny vs Galway 2012 where he dragged Kilkenny back from the brink.

Well if you're going to use the second half of 2012 then its fair to say Canning against Cork in 2008 when he nearly beat them himself was more impressive.

Just because they didn't carry them to glory doesn't mean they didn't have to shoulder far more responsibility in lesser teams.

Either if those two would have accomplished as much if roles reversed, if he could have had the same effect in their teams is debateable.

As I said, he was a great player.... But talks of being the greatest player are far fetched.
DJ was Kilkennys best player this decade and I'd have Tommy Walsh in second place.

I'll leave it at that, this is all opinion based... If someone doesn't agree with me, they need to at least realise their opinion in favour is just as debatable... They're is no right or wrong.

Mountainlad

Top class player, that tribute video really is an insult as it could be anybody. Absolutely no demonstration of his skills and they have a huge archive to work with.

I think 2004 and 2009 against Waterford were two really incredible performances. He was the outstanding forward on view in 2004 in spite of a masterclass from Paul Flynn, and he was just sensational. 2009 was another exhibition.

It's impossible to say who was the best player of all time, that is the only certainty in the debate. Shefflin will always be one of the first names in the discussion. I don't think John Mullane was better, but anyone talking about all-irelands as the sign of a players talent is daft and just to give him the respect he deserves he scored 1-6 in 2011 against Kilkenny despite a 9 point defeat, and he's put in performances like that on losing teams more than once.

Realt Dearg Sec

gilberto_eire wrote: »

Well if you're going to use the second half of 2012 then its fair to say Canning against Cork in 2008 when he nearly beat them himself was more impressive.

Just because they didn't carry them to glory doesn't mean they didn't have to shoulder far more responsibility in lesser teams.

Either if those two would have accomplished as much if roles reversed, if he could have had the same effect in their teams is debateable.

As I said, he was a great player.... But talks of being the greatest player are far fetched.
DJ was Kilkennys best player this decade and I'd have Tommy Walsh in second place.

I'll leave it at that, this is all opinion based... If someone doesn't agree with me, they need to at least realise their opinion in favour is just as debatable... They're is no right or wrong.

DJ didn't play for Kilkenny this decade, and he certainly wasn't our best player last decade either. Clearly he was our best in the 90s but henry was the man for well over a decade.

deadybai

Unbelievable in the 2002 semi-final and final too. Having witness DJ, Walsh, JJ,Hickey, Eoin Kelly, Mcgrath, Mullane and of course Henry. I have to say Henry rose above them all. Cant describe it in words how good he was. Even last year when he played in the league, he was class. From what I have seen of Ring in videos, hurling looked like a completely different game in his day. A lot of ground hurling and players didnt do an awful lot of running. Its not really fair to compare the two players. So from what I have seen

1.Henry
2.DJ
3.Tommy Walsh
4.JJ
5.Eoin Kelly

castletownman

gilberto_eire wrote: »

Well if you're going to use the second half of 2012 then its fair to say Canning against Cork in 2008 when he nearly beat them himself was more impressive.

Just because they didn't carry them to glory doesn't mean they didn't have to shoulder far more responsibility in lesser teams.

Either if those two would have accomplished as much if roles reversed, if he could have had the same effect in their teams is debateable.

As I said, he was a great player.... But talks of being the greatest player are far fetched.
DJ was Kilkennys best player this decade and I'd have Tommy Walsh in second place.

I'll leave it at that, this is all opinion based... If someone doesn't agree with me, they need to at least realise their opinion in favour is just as debatable... They're is no right or wrong.

Come on now lad. I've family ties to Galway and would regard them as my "second" county, but there is no way you can compare Canning vs Cork in '08 to Henry vs Galway 2012. He brought his county back from the brink of losing an AI FINAL, which was the catalyst for them going on to win the replay.

The latter was against your county though, and actually featured Canning missing a couple of frees before he landed the equalisier (which you have chosen not to mention I see), so I can see why you may be refusing to give it credit.

Realt Dearg Sec

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

DJ didn't play for Kilkenny this decade, and he certainly wasn't our best player last decade either. Clearly he was our best in the 90s but henry was the man for well over a decade.

Apologies I meant this century not decade.

deise man

I think it's been a privilege to watch Henry play. I'm delighted I got to see him play in the flesh even though He did an awful lot of damage to Waterford over the years. He was put on an inexperienced kevin moran one year , think 06 , and ended up scoring about 2.07. Think he scored 1.13 another year. He performance in the second half against Galway in the drawn all Ireland was unbelievable. Kilkenny were on a different level when he was in his prime. I always thought of him as the conductor of an orchestra the way he lead the team and lifted them when things weren't going well. An absolute legend.

galwaylad14

castletownman wrote: »

Come on now lad. I've family ties to Galway and would regard them as my "second" county, but there is no way you can compare Canning vs Cork in '08 to Henry vs Galway 2012. He brought his county back from the brink of losing an AI FINAL, which was the catalyst for them going on to win the replay.

The latter was against your county though, and actually featured Canning missing a couple of frees before he landed the equalisier (which you have chosen not to mention I see), so I can see why you may be refusing to give it credit.

Henry is truly one of the greats, was a pleasure to watch him.

However the whole 2012 final second half thing is bit of a myth. How he kept them alive single handedly etc.

I remember thinking it at the time that while he was good, his role in the comeback was overstated a little. So when I heard them eulogising about that performance again today I decided to go watch the match again (hadn't seen it in a couple of years) and found it on youtube. It's still painful to watch as a Galway man (we seriously left that one behind) but my hunch at the time was indeed correct. In the second half I watched Shefflin very closely.

The score at half time was 1-9 to 0-7 to us. Henry wins the break off the throw in and hits a decent ball into the forwards. He doesn't touch the ball in open play again until the 51st minute when he gets a great point after a fine catch (his only score from play). He next gets the ball in the 58th minute when he wins a good ball and plays Fennelly in on goal for a chance he misses but Skehill lies on the ball and a a 21 is awarded which Shefflin points.

He catches a puckout in the 63rd minute but he's easily dispossessed by Tannian.

At one point up in the 71st minute he misses a shot from play when all on his own 50 metres from goal. A simple chance that would have secured the game.

Now it's worth saying that in this time he scores 7 out of 7 frees aswell. Some of them are tricky ones and this is probably his major contribution.

Now he played well, don't get me wrong. But as you can see from that he only had possession 5 times in the second half. One of which he scored a point from and another one he created a goal chance for Colin Fennelly. His other 3 possessions lead to wides or the ball being lost.

The ability to score those frees is vital and in fairness he was brilliant on them in that second half.

But there's no way you could say he single handedly dragged Kilkenny back into it or anything like that. That simply isn't true. He made two telling contributions from play and scored his frees. But that's just what he did all his career, that second half was good but it was just what we came to expect from his over his career. I wouldn't say it was a standout performance and I was surprised to hear him say himself that it was his best game.

What cost us that day was that we dropped back the forwards too much and then proceeded to launch long ball into the Kilkenny defence when we were consistently outnumbered and we did too much fouling around the middle which Shefflin punished.

Also Brian Hogan's second half was just unbelievable, the man mopped up everything (though he was helped by our lack of a half forward line).

Also a word must be said about Tannian's performance, superb and was the best player on the pitch without any doubt (think he got man of the match that day) and I'd say Hogan was second best. Probably a toss up between Shefflin and Canning then for the 3rd best. Canning missed a couple of frees which Shefflin didn't but he also did get a magical goal and was generally more involved in the game than Shefflin.

So as I said, a good performance without doubt and his free taking was vital but I don't think it could be picked out as Shefflin's best ever performance, he gave many better displays over the years in my opinion.

bruschi

gilberto_eire wrote: »

Well if you're going to use the second half of 2012 then its fair to say Canning against Cork in 2008 when he nearly beat them himself was more impressive.

Just because they didn't carry them to glory doesn't mean they didn't have to shoulder far more responsibility in lesser teams.

Either if those two would have accomplished as much if roles reversed, if he could have had the same effect in their teams is debateable.

As I said, he was a great player.... But talks of being the greatest player are far fetched.
DJ was Kilkennys best player this decade and I'd have Tommy Walsh in second place.

I'll leave it at that, this is all opinion based... If someone doesn't agree with me, they need to at least realise their opinion in favour is just as debatable... They're is no right or wrong.

Canning and Mullane would have been the focal point of a Kilkenny team, winning 10 all Irelands, 11 All stars and 3 players of the year if the roles were reversed? No, no way. I know everyone has their opinions and they cant be wrong, but no.

Charlie69

Eaglebridie 32 wrote: »

I will always remember, as long as I live, his 2nd half performance in the 2012 drawn AI final versus Galway. On a day when most of the Kilkenny players underperformed, he almost single handed got them a draw that day. I've no doubt that it was what inspired his team-mates into winning the replay

Gone but never forgotten!

A performance not forgotten by the Galway fans either judging by some of their posts on this thread .

bruschi

galwaylad14 wrote: »

Henry is truly one of the greats, was a pleasure to watch him.

However the whole 2012 final second half thing is bit of a myth. How he kept them alive single handedly etc.

So as I said, a good performance without doubt and his free taking was vital but I don't think it could be picked out as Shefflin's best ever performance, he gave many better displays over the years in my opinion.

I'm not from Galway, but was at the game and I fully agree with you. I havent watched it back lately, but I was surprised to hear so many, Shefflin himself, go on about it. Like you, I thought he was good, up with the best on the day, but I far from thought it was his best performance for Kilkenny, nor one of the best performances in an AI final as it was being made out to be today. It wasnt even the best performance by a player that day, never mind anything else.

Bleating Lamb

A tremendous player from an era when Kilkenny had seven or eight greats,as a non KK person is his wife a local?,saw her in the Irish Independent today,Henry a bit out of even his league with her:)

MfMan

castletownman wrote: »

Come on now lad. I've family ties to Galway and would regard them as my "second" county, but there is no way you can compare Canning vs Cork in '08 to Henry vs Galway 2012. He brought his county back from the brink of losing an AI FINAL, which was the catalyst for them going on to win the replay.

The latter was against your county though, and actually featured Canning missing a couple of frees before he landed the equalisier (which you have chosen not to mention I see), so I can see why you may be refusing to give it credit.

As individual displays go, it was better. Canning was then 19 and in his first Senior season. His display was spread over both halves, was instrumental in getting Diarmuid O'Sullivan subbed and Donal Og sent off, scored 2-12 out of 2-15, 1-5 from play, a lot of them excellent scores. He was a man alone that day, with damn all support from team mates.

It's a bit of a myth, one of many that circulate about Galway hurling, that Canning is inconsistent. There are very few games that pass that he doesn't make some contribution in; it's the supporting cast around him that so frequently let him down. Believe me, if he was from KK, Henry would have even more medals.

Anyway, I don't want to turn this in another Shefflin V Canning debate, there have been enough. Both superb players, different in style and method. One happened to be born in the right county, the other not yet.

Kenajonn

Mountainlad wrote: »

Top class player, that tribute video really is an insult as it could be anybody. Absolutely no demonstration of his skills and they have a huge archive to work with.

I think 2004 and 2009 against Waterford were two really incredible performances. He was the outstanding forward on view in 2004 in spite of a masterclass from Paul Flynn, and he was just sensational. 2009 was another exhibition.

It's impossible to say who was the best player of all time, that is the only certainty in the debate. Shefflin will always be one of the first names in the discussion. I don't think John Mullane was better, but anyone talking about all-irelands as the sign of a players talent is daft and just to give him the respect he deserves he scored 1-6 in 2011 against Kilkenny despite a 9 point defeat, and he's put in performances like that on losing teams more than once.

I was not having a go at John Mullane certainly one of the best I have seen he was the only one who put up a fight in 2008. What I was trying to say was Henry was a total team player.

Mountainlad

Kenajonn wrote: »

I was not having a go at John Mullane certainly one of the best I have seen he was the only one who put up a fight in 2008. What I was trying to say was Henry was a total team player.

Fair enough, Shefflin was different class anyway. I fully agree with the sentiment on the page, he deserves the plaudits.

mickey1979

I suffer from the doubters disease is Maradona or Messi the greatest. But I bow to Shefflin he won everything possible. I don't know how you compare Shefflin, Ring or DJ but on the big day more often than not Shefflin came up trumps. In my lifetime the greatest clutch GAA player.

The best of luck to a true champion in retirement. An amazing athlete and leader. 2 games spring to mind with Henry Shefflin. He announced his arrival probably moreso in 2002 with an amazing performance alongside DJ Carey against ourselves, but the game that sums him up the most would be that incredible performance against Galway in 2012 where he grabbed the game by the throat. Perhaps what sums him up the most is the horrible injuries he has come back from.

pepe silvia

If you were to pick the best forward to have on your team over the last 50 years it would have to be Henry.

The other greats (like Canning)could win you a match on their day, but you would be betting the outcome on whether they deliver as they would take every shot themselves no matter the angle. If they score they're unbelievable and if they miss, well sure they may aswell have tried because the rest of the team is ****e anyway.

Shefflin was the ultimate team player, consistently playing well while bringing others like Larkin into play and allowing them to shine and give hurler of the year performances, paving the way for the most succesful team ever. Also when it was really needed he also stepped up and won games on his own.

Was meant to be a bastard for giving out to the reff though.

Deskjockey

Legend