Shefflin’s injury casts shadow on showdown

THE confirmation yesterday of the season-ending cruciate injury suffered by Kilkenny’s Henry Shefflin hasn’t just impacted in the Marble city and the county in general, it is also a blow to hurling itself.

Following their win over Cork on Sunday, Kilkenny are now in yet another All-Ireland final, with an opportunity to become the first team – hurling or football – to complete a five-in-a-row.

As a player who has already broken the individual all-time hurling scoring record, Shefflin would have played a central role in that attempt at history, which – if Kilkenny manage to win – would also have seen him join Christy Ring and John Doyle at the head of the all-time honours list with eight All-Ireland senior medals won on the field of play.