By Peter Sweeney
Kilkenny legend Henry Shefflin says he will make a decision on his inter-county future "very quickly".
Shefflin picked up his third All-Ireland club title with Ballyhale Shamrocks at Croke Park on St Patrick’s Day.
They sit alongside the ten senior medals he has won with the Cats and he acknowledges that the time has come for him to sit down and make a serious decision.
“I’m going to enjoy the celebrations for a day or two and then this weekend I am going to reflect on it and make my decision then within the next week,” said the 36-year-old.
“I can’t put it off any longer. I have been in the privileged position to be able to keep pushing it off because we did so well with the club.
“I am very happy with where I am at so it’s just make my mind up time.”
Shefflin made his inter-county debut with the Cats in 1999 and has been part of Kilkenny’s glittering period since.
After a string of serious injuries he came back to help Brian Cody’s side clinch the Liam MacCarthy Cup again last September.
He has added another All-Ireland club title, thanks to Shamrocks’ 1-18 to 1-6 win over Kilmallock of Limerick, and he admits that it could be the ideal way to bow out.
“It’s the perfect platform; to win an All-Ireland, a third with your club, but then you’re saying to yourself that it’s the end of March so the season is nearly over - it’s really rocking on,” explained Shefflin.
“I suppose the decision I have to make is whether or not I am going to go back with Kilkenny and it’s a decision I am going to make very quickly.”
“I suppose the decision I have to make is whether or not I am going to go back with Kilkenny and it’s a decision I am going to make very quickly”
Kilkenny are currently involved in a relegation struggle in Division 1A of the Hurling League and face a crunch game against Clare at Nowlan Park this weekend - a game unlikely to feature any of Ballyhale’s inter-county contingent.
This was Shamrocks’ sixth All-Ireland title and their third since 2007.
According to manager Andy Moloney, it was a major motivation to match the hat-trick of victories that the club claimed between 1981 and 1990.
“We wanted to be part of a set-up where we equalled the great team of the 80s,” said the Tipperary native, who worked alongside coach Colm Bonnar in preparing the side.
“The other factor is that they probably felt they left themselves down over the last couple of years where they didn't come out of Kilkenny and probably felt they should have and won their third title a little bit earlier.”
Kimallock boss Ger O’Loughlin admitted that his team’s ten first half wides, plus four more shots dropped short, left them with too much to do.
“In the first half the seeds were sown,” he said. “We had ten wides and we needed to be getting five or six of those.”
