NEWS ROUND-UP:IT WAS to be the greatest moment for arguably the greatest hurler of his time. Their best player, at the peak of his career, about to do what no hurler had ever done before. But Henry Shefflin will play no part in Kilkenny's quest to win an unprecedented fifth successive All-Ireland hurling title.
As if the injury sustained in Sunday’s comprehensive win over Cork wasn’t bad enough – a tear in the cruciate ligament of his left knee – Shefflin endured the same injury to his right knee just three years ago, during the 2007 All-Ireland final.
It also means four Kilkenny hurlers have sustained the dreaded cruciate ligament tear in the last four years, three of which have also torn it twice.
JJ Delaney missed the 2006 All-Ireland final against Cork having sustained the cruciate tear in training in the build-up to that game.
Fellow defender John Tennyson also tore his cruciate a few weeks after the 2007 final, thus being sidelined the same time as Shefflin, and then two weeks ago tore it again, and is likewise ruled out for the rest of the season.
Kilkenny substitute goalkeeper Richie O’Neill has also twice tore his cruciate, which would appear to raise some questions about the demands of Kilkenny’s consistent drive for perfection.
Kilkenny selector Martin Fogarty has no doubt about the extent of Shefflin’s loss, but isn’t so sure why – if there’s any reason – so many of their hurlers appear to be victims of the cruciate ligament tears.
“To be honest we were concerned, gravely, on Sunday evening,” said Fogarty. “And it a tremendous loss, devastating for the player. Well you don’t replace a player like Henry Shefflin. He hasn’t been our most consistent first-team player for nothing. So it’s not about replacing him. It’s about hoping the rest of the team can raise their game another small extra percentage or whatever to make up for the loss.
“But I wouldn’t say it’s because of the demands of Kilkenny hurling, no, because I’ve seen it happen at club level as well. I’m no doctor, but I wonder if something is missing from a young age. Like maybe cycling. It used to be that all kids would be cycling to school, but you don’t see that anymore. Having said that it’s not like Henry Shefflin wouldn’t have done enough strength work on the exercise bike. And I know JJ Delaney and John Tennyson had built up the knee strength so well, that it might have put extra strain on the cruciate. So I don’t know. But he’ll be back. There’s no better man to face adversity.
“The sorry thing is he did unbelievable work to get back from the last injury. The sort of work few people ever see. But he’ll still play a big part in this All-Ireland final, in the dressingroom and on the sideline.”
Whatever about the misfortunate of injuring both his knees, Shefflin also sustained them in the same year he helped Ballyhale Shamrocks claim the All-Ireland club title, which perhaps suggest some wear and tear was a factor.
In 2007, Ballyhale won the All-Ireland and a few months later Shefflin was struck down; and Ballyhale won back that title again this year. The recurrence of the cruciate is usual, but not unique, and it was evident from the way Shefflin went down on Sunday’s game he was in trouble.
Kilkenny county chairman Ned Quinn put Shefflin’s loss in full perspective by claiming he is the greatest player he’s ever seen.
“It’s shocking, really, to think it’s another cruciate,” said Quinn. “It’s too early to decide if he’ll undergo another operation. But he’s devastated, obviously. He’s put so muck work into this.
“And I think anyone who has any interest in hurling at all will be devastated for him. We all want to see the best players, in their prime. I’m over 50 years going to championship matches and I’ve no doubt Henry is the best I’ve ever seen. He has it all. A superb team player, a superb individual, and a massive influence in the dressingroom.
“He was in a position to make history, a great player on the cusp of doing something great, and to have that taken away at the final hurdle is just very, very hard. Hurling is his life, and it was his ambition to help Kilkenny win this historic five in a row. But he’ll be back. I reckon within a day or two he’ll already be thinking about the recovery. He’s only 31, and does everything possible to keep himself right, on and off the field.”
Rogers injury a setback for Down
DOWN'S PREPARATIONS for their All-Ireland football semi-final against Kildare on August 29th have suffered a setback with confirmation that midfielder and captain Ambrose Rogers sustained a knee injury playing for his club Longstone at the weekend, writes Ian O'Riordan. The full extent of the injury is not yet known, but Rogers will undergo a scan in the coming days, the results of which should be known by the end of this week.
In the meantime the Down County Board has decided to put its local club championships on hold until after the semi-final.
Kildare still have an injury concern over midfielder Dermot Earley but he is making good progress and may yet be fit to play some role.
Fellow Kildare footballer James Kavanagh was yesterday named as Opel/GPA Players of the Month for July, with Waterford’s Michael Walsh picking up the hurling award.
