Master and commander

THEY’RE not going head-to-head, they mightn’t come within an acre of each other on the wide grasslands of Semple Stadium, but of all the performances in the All-Ireland club SHC semi-final in Thurles tomorrow, how Ballyhale’s Henry Shefflin scores for the Kilkenny champions against how Joe Canning scores for Portumna will have a huge bearing on which side progresses to the final.

Since he won his first All-Ireland as a 16-year-old with the Galway minors, Canning has been touted as the ‘new’ Henry Shefflin. They are of similar size, boast similar skills, each is a master craftsman capable of drawing gasps of admiration with sublime touches. Henry and Joe are scorers-in-chief for their respective clubs, two pairs of broad shoulders on which rest massive pressure.

Not that you’d think so on speaking to them. Still just 20, Joe is as cool off the field as on, mature far beyond his years, while Henry? Well, this is all old hat now to this prince of players, another big day in a career that has seen so many.