Shefflin hails Joey Holden’s transition to full-back

It’s been the ultimate case of necessity being the mother of invention but Henry Shefflin reckons Joey Holden’s transition to full-back for Kilkenny couldn’t have worked out much better.

Holden was initially a half-back for club and county but a club restructure last year, as Ballyhale Shamrocks sought inspiration, saw him move to the troublesome full-back position where he starred.

His form climaxed with a strong AIB All-Ireland club final display on St Patrick’s Day and, as it turned out, Kilkenny were also in the market for a new full-back following JJ Delaney’s retirement.

Again, Holden slotted in and just last weekend passed his biggest test yet when he performed admirably on Galway’s Joe Canning in the Leinster final. Canning sniped a contender for goal of the Championship though, overall, Holden got the better of the talisman full-forward.

Holden, Shefflin’s club colleague, also doubles as county captain this season, so his dominant form couldn’t come at a better time. Asked if he sees anything of nine-time winning Kilkenny defender Delaney in Holden, Shefflin smiled.

“Well, JJ was JJ, JJ was special, Joey is a bit different,” said Shefflin. “But you would see that same strength of doing the simple things well. I think Joey does those things very well. Paul Murphy is obviously in the mix there as well. Paul is a very explosive player and wants to be on the ball whereas JJ and Joey wouldn’t mind if they weren’t on the ball once they were protecting their area and I think they both did that very well.”

Shefflin particularly admired some subtle pieces of defensive expertise in Holden’s play in the Leinster final win.

“There were high balls going in and it’s something that people wouldn’t see, but his holding off of Joe Canning or Jonathan Glynn, just holding them away to leave Eoin Murphy to get the ball, those simple things were done very well and are really important in that position.

“I think he’s the natural fit for full-back. And he’ll learn. He’s learning with each passing game and I’ve been very impressed with him. I wouldn’t expect anything less from him. Even when Joe Canning got that great goal, Joey didn’t react in any way, he just stayed playing in the same way.”

If Shefflin was of a mind to, he could easily take umbrage at Kilkenny’s fine Championship form in his absence. It’s been a near seamless transition to life without he and the five other high profile players who retired.

“That’s always been the way, it’s never really been any different,” claimed Shefflin. “Each year we’d say the trick is, and Brian has consistently done this, to find one or two new players. Ger Aylward, and I know Joey was there last year, but he’s in a critical position now at full-back, I think those two lads have seamlessly transitioned.

“It’s been very impressive. A lot of players were either injured or away earlier in the year and there was probably a lot read into the league results, probably too much so. Now they have them all back on the field.”

Shefflin is in the process of completing his autobiography which is due out later this year. He believes it will be compelling but without compromising any backroom confidences.

“I don’t think it’ll be trade secrets, it’s just being yourself,” said Shefflin. “The book is about my life, my hurling life, so that’s what I’ll talk about in it, my experiences and how I felt, that’s very much it.”