The 10 ways Kilkenny are leading the way

1. The King

Where better to start than with the best? No other team has a player of his ilk nor his character either. Henry Shefflin may make his 70th championship appearance from the bench on Sunday but it’s his resilience in the face of operation after operation in recent years that provides so much example to his younger team-mates. There’s the longevity and then there are the scores — 27 goals and 484 points, 24-136 from play.

2. Nowlan Park’s locked doors