JJ Delaney believes Kilkenny will be “there or thereabouts” at the end of next year’s Championship despite a number of high-profile retirements from Brian Cody’s panel.
Delaney became the fifth high-profile retiree from the Kilkenny panel, after Tommy Walsh, David Herity, Brian Hogan and Aidan Fogarty.
There is further speculation that 10-time All-Ireland winner Henry Shefflin may announce his departure from inter-county hurling once his participation in the club championship with Ballyhale Shamrocks comes to a conclusion.
Despite widely held sentiment that these changes mean Kilkenny may be in a period of transition, Delaney, remained confident about the Cats’ prospects, and suggested the conveyor belt of hurling talent continues in the county.
“I’ve no doubt about it,” Delaney told RTÉ's Damien Tiernan, when asked whether new players would come through. “That dressing-room is very, very healthy at the moment.
“Look, there is a few leaders after leaving, but, back a few years ago we had Peter Barry, John Hoyne and DJ Carey all leave at the one particular time, and other people stood to the mark. And I have no doubt, knowing that current group of players, people will step up to the mark, and they’ll be there or thereabouts against next year again.”
"A few years ago we had Peter Barry, John Hoyne and DJ Carey all leave at the one time, and other people stood to the mark."
Speaking about his own decision to call it day, nine-time All-Ireland winner Delaney said he had known that last season would be his last, whatever the outcome, and that he was delighted with the fairytale ending of Kilkenny taking yet another title. He never considered retiring before last season, the Fenians Johnstown clubman said.
“I wasn’t happy the way it finished up with me, personally [in 2013]. I just wanted to give it one big drive, regarding diet, gym work, fitness, first touch, everything as best as I possibly could and see what happens after that.
“I did all the work, and if we’d been beaten in the first round, or beaten in the Leinster final, or in the All-Ireland semi-final, I still would have left happy, knowing I did give it one last crack, and put everything into it.”
32-year-old Delaney hadn’t told anyone he planned to retire except his girlfriend in case anything had gone wrong, but said knowing it would be his last season in the black and amber helped him enjoy the season all the more.
“I took the whole year in more than anything,” he said. “I just embraced everything about throughout the year and took everything in.”
He said last year had been highlight of his time with Kilkenny, particularly because they had come back to force a replay and went on to win that game.
Looking back on the many battles he had been part of and the toughest players he had played against, Delaney singled out Waterford’s Ken McGrath before reeling off a list of the modern game’s greats. He said that with retirement would come the opportunity to reflect properly on a remarkable 14-year inter-county career.
“Now, over the next couple of weeks, I’ll actually look back over the last 14 years, and just embrace it and take everything in.”
