Henry Shefflin

Henry Shefflin
Shefflin in 2009
Personal information
Irish name Anraí Ó Sibhleáin
Sport Hurling
Position Centre-forward
Born (1979-01-11) 11 January 1979 (age 45)
Waterford, Ireland
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Nickname King Henry, Sheff
Occupation Bank official
Club(s)*
Years Club Apps (scores)
1997–2017
 Ballyhale Shamrocks 66 (16–406)
Club titles
Kilkenny titles 6
Leinster titles 4
All-Ireland Titles 3
Colleges(s)
Years College
1997–2002
 Waterford IT
College titles
Fitzgibbon titles 2
Inter-county(ies)**
Years County Apps (scores)
1999–2015
 Kilkenny 71 (27–484)
Inter-county titles
Leinster titles 13
All-Irelands 10
NHL 6
All Stars 11
* club appearances and scores correct as of 15:22, 21 March 2015 (UTC).
**Inter County team apps and scores correct as of 15:22, 1 June 2018 (UTC).

Henry Shefflin (born 11 January 1979) is an Irish hurling manager and former player who was the manager of the Galway senior hurling team from 2021 to 2024. In his playing career he was nicknamed "King Henry" because of his directive style, dominance, competitive spirit, and leadership on the field. He is the only player to win 'hurler of the year' three times, in 2002, 2006, and 2012. Cian Lynch is the only other player to win the title more than once, winning it in 2018 and 2021. He is widely regarded as the best player in the history of the game.[1][2] A versatile forward who started out in the corner, Shefflin made his name in more commanding positions as a centre or full-forward.[3] He is widely regarded to be one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, with many former players, commentators and fans rating him as the number one player of all time.[4][5][6]

Raised in Ballyhale, County Kilkenny, Shefflin served an obligatory but underrated hurling apprenticeship at St Kieran's College. He joined the Ballyhale Shamrocks senior team as a goalkeeper at the age of 17 in 1996 and spent the next 21 years as one of the club's key outfield players. He is one of only a handful of men to have won the All-Ireland Club Championship as a player and as a manager. Shefflin's association with Kilkenny began as a member of the minor team in 1996. He progressed through the under-21 and intermediate ranks before making his senior debut in 1999. Shefflin brought his 18-season association with the black and amber jersey to an end when he announced his inter-county retirement on 25 March 2015.[7][8][9][10][11][12]

Shefflin is one of the most decorated players of all time. During his time with Kilkenny, he won 10 All-Ireland Championship titles – more than any other player in history, 13 Leinster Championship titles, six National Hurling League titles, and six Walsh Cup titles. Kilkenny, Cork, Tipperary and Limerick are the only teams in hurling history to have won more All-Ireland titles than Shefflin. Shefflin captained Kilkenny on several occasions, particularly in the 2007 season when he captained the team to All-Ireland honours.

Shefflin also has many personal achievements. He remains the only player to have won three Hurler of the Year awards (2002, 2006 and 2012), while he also claimed 11 All-Stars. His 16-season senior career saw him make a record 71 championship appearances for Kilkenny. He is also the all-time leading scorer for Kilkenny with 27–484 which itself was a national record until surpassed by Joe Canning in 2021.[13] Shefflin was named as RTÉ Sports Person of the Year in 2006 and has been repeatedly named on teams of the greatest players of all time, including the Etihad 125 Dream Team in 2009.[14]

  1. ^ "Scores fit for a King – 10 of Henry Shefflin's best". The 42. 25 March 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  2. ^ Lanigan, Philip (30 March 2020). "Ranking the best players in hurling over the past 25 years". joe.ie. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  3. ^ Moran, Seán (17 August 2002). "Shefflin moves to centre stage". The Irish Times. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Is King Henry the greatest player in hurling's history?". The 42. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  5. ^ Breheny, Martin (25 March 2020). "GAA Top 20: King Henry, DJ or Keher – who is the greatest Kilkenny hurler of the last 50 years?". Irish Independent. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  6. ^ "Henry Shefflin and Jack O'Shea reign supreme as our search for the top hurler and footballer of the past 125 years concludes". Irish Independent. 7 November 2009. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  7. ^ "Henry Shefflin retirement statement". GAA website. 25 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  8. ^ "Kilkenny legend Henry Shefflin retires at 36". RTÉ Sport. 25 March 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  9. ^ Moran, Seán (25 March 2015). "Henry Shefflin confirms intercounty retirement". The Irish Times. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  10. ^ Breheny, Martin (24 March 2015). "Henry Shefflin set to retire tomorrow after greatest hurling career of all time". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 20 May 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  11. ^ "Tributes pour in as Henry Shefflin retires to a standing ovation". Breaking News. 25 March 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  12. ^ Duggan, Keith (26 March 2015). "Kilkenny star Henry Shefflin exits stage left". The Irish Times. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  13. ^ McKeon, Conor (29 June 2021). "'I never look at the numbers by my name' – Joe Canning not concerned about topping Henry Shefflin's scoring record". Irish Independent. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  14. ^ "Shefflin replaces Langton in Etihad 125 'Dream Team". Irish Independent. 4 September 2009. Retrieved 23 October 2021.