Medal count won’t deflect final focus, warns Delaney

For many heading to the All-Ireland senior hurling final, one of the major side-attractions is the possibility of seeing history being made if Henry Shefflin wins a ninth medal on the field of play.

Lost in all the hype about that, however, is the fact that several more on this Kilkenny team are themselves hot on Henry’s heels and also on the verge of history.

Should Kilkenny win, then Noel Hickey will join Shefflin on nine while Tommy Walsh and JJ Delaney will both be on eight. With Noel and JJ, however, there is that little caveat — one of those medals was won from the bench. Asked how many All-Ireland medals he has won, Delaney has no qualms. “I don’t know where they are but I’d say seven, you take everything you get!” He does have one proviso though — the medal from 2006, when injury kept him from playing in the All-Ireland final, is not as valued as the other six. “I would swap the one you’re talking about for a county senior medal — I don’t have any.”

That would be with his club, Johnstown, and is yet another illustration of how important the home club remains to even the very best in hurling. JJ’s chances of winning that elusive medal? “We’re improving but a few of the teams that are there, the likes of Ballyhale and James Stephens, would have to go away for a while!”

His chances of that phenomenal All-Ireland eighth medal, however, are not at all so slim. And it is a phenomenal achievement which should not be overlooked. Remember, until Henry, Eddie Brennan and Noel Hickey reached that magic mark last year, only John Doyle and Christy Ring (on the field of play) and Kilkenny’s own Noel Skehan had managed to reach that magic number, Noel surpassing it, though three of his nine medals were won as sub to Ollie Walsh.

Before going on to discuss this year’s game, however, let’s go back to 2006 and the final he missed. It had been another sterling season for the man described by many as possibly the best left-half-back the game has seen, the consummate defender. JJ Delaney had been an integral part of the team as Kilkenny won yet another National League, then another Leinster. He was preparing for the almighty battle to come against champions Cork in the All-Ireland final when one black evening in Nowlan Park, in training, his cruciate went. The memory of All-Ireland final day is especially painful which is why he so empathises with team-mate Michael Rice, who is ruled out of Sunday’s clash with a finger injury.

“It makes the final a completely different experience. Usually even if you’re not starting, you’re togging out, ready to come on — as a sub that’s always your thinking, you’re going to be coming on. But when you’re hitting Sunday morning and you’re not getting your gear ready, when you’re going down to the bus but you don’t have any hurls, you can’t puck around — that’s when it’s going to hit Michael but that’s when we have to get around him and drive him on. He’s massively important to us, his experience alone is vital for us. The unfortunate thing for him though is hitting that Sunday morning, going on the field with no hurl in your hand, looking around, not doing anything — that’s when it hits home, that you’re not actually going out and playing. You might have been thinking ‘I’ll be alright, I’ll be alright’ but no, you won’t be.”

JJ had another kind of experience in this year’s Leinster final. Not as bad an experience, even if another injury did keep him from another big game, and even if in that game Galway did to Kilkenny what Cork hadn’t done in 2006 and won the game. But certainly it was different.

“It was a completely different weekend for me. Usually on the Saturday you’d be drinking loads of water and getting yourself ready, just thinking about the game. I had failed a fitness test on Friday night so I knew I wasn’t playing.” What of the game itself, however, what of those opening 30 minutes especially, Galway 2-12 to 0-1 ahead? “I was sitting beside Mick Fennelly (midfielder, also injured) on the bench and it was just surreal. Once you’re out of the field you can do something about it but when you’re stuck in the stand you’re just there watching, you’re like another person and there’s nothing you can do. It came down to their hunger on the day which was unbelievable and we’ll have to expect that intensity again.”

In his new role as spectator, was he hoping perhaps for some sort of miracle? “Like everyone else, I couldn’t believe my eyes and what was happening. Once you look back on it, the intensity Galway brought to the first 10 minutes there was only one team going to win that game — the pick of Ireland wouldn’t have beaten them. The teamwork they brought to it, apart from the intensity. They were pinging balls left, right and centre and all fighting for each other, which all good Galway teams are doing.”

With an eye to Sunday, many people are pointing out that Kilkenny were without both JJ and Michael Fennelly that day, while the unfortunate Michael Rice (coming back from another injury) only came on as a sub. Such talk is irrelevant, according to Delaney.

“Even if we’d had the full team it wouldn’t have made any difference because they just came with such an intensity. In the first 10 minutes, they’d scored 2-8 or 2-9 and we didn’t score — that tells the tale itself. Missing a fullback and midfield wasn’t the difference. Michael Rice came on at half-time and made a bit of a difference but the thing we’ll take out of it is that we battled away. It would have been very easy to give in but the lads didn’t. But after 10 minutes it was gone and that’s the beauty of hurling, that’s why we all go to these games — that’s why underdogs always have a shot and they were (underdogs) that day but they’re not underdogs anymore.”

Interesting that JJ refers there to Kilkenny ‘missing a full-back’; when he first played that position for Kilkenny it was only as emergency cover for the estimable Noel Hickey. Now Noel is fully fit again but JJ is still there — is that how he now sees himself, as a number three?

“At the time, I was playing full-back for the club anyway, so I was used to the position. I don’t mind it — any position, as long as you’re training for it for a few months. Especially full-back — if you’re training for wing-back, then having to suddenly play at full-back in a championship game that’s a different story. But look, if Brian (Cody, manager) told me to go and stand on my head in the corner, I’d be happy to do it. It’s a privilege to be on the team.”