There will be pangs of regret in Kilkenny that Henry Shefflin’s expertise has slipped through their fingers and away to Galway, says Diarmuid Healy.
The hurling world was shocked this week when it emerged that the most decorated player in GAA history is to take the Galway manager’s job, a role that will see him face off against his native county and former manager Brian Cody in next year’s Championship.
After making an impressive start to his managerial career with his club Ballyhale Shamrocks, winning successive All-Ireland titles, Shefflin was seen as Cody’s heir apparent, whenever the 67-year-old finally vacates the job that he has held since 1998.
“That’s the difficult one,” said Healy. “The reaction of Kilkenny people will be one of regret that he’s going to Galway as they see him as the next potential manager in Kilkenny and they’d be wondering are we losing Henry now? That’s the reaction I’d say alright.”
Healy is the only Kilkenny man to have managed another county to a Championship victory over his native one, having achieved it during his glory-laden spell with Offaly during the 80s, first coming on board as coach before assuming the role of manager.
However, he insists that Shefflin’s decision to move west doesn’t tarnish his legacy in his home county.
“Henry is highly respected in Kilkenny and I think no matter what Henry does he’ll be respected. I always said that he would be the next Kilkenny manager, that he had all the qualities.
“He’s well able to handle people and all that kind of thing so a lot depends on the character of the person that’s doing the job, taking on Galway.
“Maybe if another person took on Galway there’d be a different reaction but Henry is so highly respected in Kilkenny that no matter what, he’ll still be respected.”
Ultimately, Healy went on to manage Kilkenny after his lengthy stint in Offaly and he still believes that the opportunity will come around for Shefflin.
“It will, it will. If Brian Cody stays on for another three or four years, I’d say Henry’s probably committed to Galway for the next three or four years anyway, but if it comes up after that he would because he has all the qualities for it.”
Between his spells managing Offaly and Kilkenny, Healy was sounded out about the Tipperary job before Michael ‘Babs’ Keating was appointed in 1986, but that would have been a bridge too far.
“When I went to Offaly, Offaly had never even won a Leinster final so we weren’t seen as a challenge at that time. We in Kilkenny were always talking about promoting hurling in other counties so when I went to Offaly, Kilkenny people were supportive.
“Actually, when we won the first Leinster final [in 1980], the number of phone calls I got the following morning from Kilkenny people congratulating me, I was very surprised but they love to see hurling coming on in other counties.”
Healy suspects that Shefflin may not be inundated with local well-wishers should Galway send Kilkenny packing in next year’s Championship, however.
“It mightn’t be the same reaction!” he laughed. “It’d be a difficult one alright for Henry.
“I took no pleasure in Kilkenny being beaten or anything like that and Kilkenny people respected me for that as well. I was doing a job and I had to do it, that was it.
“I said, look, this is my job, I’m doing this job and I have to be honourable and I have to be professional about it and I had to be ruthless. I was 100% Offaly when I was with Offaly and I think nothing less would satisfy me and nothing less would satisfy Offaly.”
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