“A wise man once said to me, you don’t write history, you try to make it”

Honesty – how often have we heard Brian Cody use that word in praise of his players, of his team?

Honesty of effort, that’s what the legendary Kilkenny senior hurling manager looks for above all else in his players, nobody hiding, nobody shirking the hard work.

There’s none more honest on this Kilkenny team than Henry Shefflin. When the need is greatest, that’s when the man they call the King is at his greatest. So many times in his long career that’s been the case and this year again, as Kilkenny won its ninth All-Ireland title in the 14 seasons of Cody’s tenure, Shefflin was to the fore.