THE KILKENNY HURLING squad’s WhatsApp group was the forum for retirement announcements last winter.
Tommy Walsh, Brian Hogan, Aidan Fogarty, David Herity and JJ Delaney all informed their teammates that they were calling it a day via the messaging service.
And this morning there was another departure when Henry Shefflin announced that he would no longer be part of the Kilkenny squad.
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Shefflin confirmed his retirement from the Kilkenny senior hurling ranks shortly after noon today.
Prior to the press conference at the Set Theatre in Langton’s Hotel in Kilkenny city, the 36 year-old sent a message to his teammates and revealed it was an ‘emotional’ occasion.
“I used to be very sad when I used to look up the messages when one of the lads has left the group and the next minute there’s a lovely message from him saying, ‘thanks very much for everything’. I had to do that at half eleven out in the car park in Langton’s today. That was very sad.”
Shefflin admitted he will most miss Kilkenny’s training sessions and the camaraderie involved.
“I was speaking to Ned (Quinn) last night and the lads were training and I’d love to have been training, to be honest. Coming in here to Langton’s after training, you’d miss that craic, the enjoyment of it.
“Obviously the big days are brilliant, there’s a lot of effort goes into getting to those days. More than anything I think i’m going to miss the training. I’ve spoken to a few of my colleagues who’ve made this decision in the last couple of months and they say they’re very luck to have the club to fall back on.
“That’s the beauty of the GAA, that the club is such an integral part. It won’t be much different for myself, it’ll be that I’m going to Ballyhale rather than going into Kilkenny.”
