Shefflin’s six: Statement backroom signals Kilkenny intent

Kilkenny have won just one U20/U21 All-Ireland hurling title in the last 17 years. 

Eddie Keher believes Henry Shefflin's Kilkenny U20 backroom team proves how serious the county is about improving their underage fortunes. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

It wasn’t the appointment of Henry Shefflin as Kilkenny’s U20 manager alone that had tongues wagging last Monday. It was the breadth of his management team.

When his predecessor Mark Dowling took over from Derek Lyng in September 2022, the name of the Dicksboro man was the only one revealed. When Lyng was ratified in October 2019, his selectors were mentioned too but the size paled in comparison to Shefflin’s six-strong team that was announced earlier this week. The current Ballyhale Shamrocks man was letting it be known that he is ready.