Eddie Brennan | Joe Canning | Ollie Canning | DJ Carey | Eugene Cloonan
Martin Comerford | Lar Corbett | Brendan Cummins | Ronan Curran
Ger Farragher | James 'cha' Fitzpatrick | Damien Fitzhenry | Paul Flynn
John Gardiner | Niall Gilligan | Damian Hayes | Conal Keaney | Michael Kavanagh
Eoin Kennedy | Eoin Kelly | Eoin Kelly | Eoin Larkin | Derek Lyng
Fergus McMahon | Seanie McMahon | Johnny McIntosh | Andrew Mitchell
Stephen Molumpy | Pat Mulcahy | John Mullane | Sean Óg Ó Hailpin
Andrew O'Shaughnessy | Ben O'Connor | Seamus Prendergast
Keith Raymond | Eoin Quigley | Joe Rabbite | Keith Rossiter | Dan Shanahan
Henry Shefflin | James Skehill | Tommy Walsh | Brian Whelehan | James Young

Kilkenny ace attacker, Henry Shefflin, came up trumps again this year, scoring an unbelievable 3-37 in the Cats' four championship games. While their All-Ireland dreams ended with a surprise defeat to Galway in the semi-final, Kilkenny still managed to win the National League and reclaim the Leinster title they lost to Wexford last year. The Ballyhale Shamrocks clubman was to the fore in both victories, scoring 1-7 in the league final and 8 points against Wexford in the
Leinster final.

Kilkenny won the National League and the Leinster Championship this year, but failed to make the All-Irelan final. How do you rate their season?
Even though it was great to win the National League and to be the Leinster champions again, when you start training early in the year you only have one thing in mind and that's to be in Croke Park on All-Ireland final day. We set out to win three trophies this year, we won two, but the one we didn't win was the one we wanted most. Expectations in the county are always high so it was very disappointing not to make the final.Kilkenny scored 4-18 against Galway in the semi-final and were still on the losing side.

Was that your toughest game?
Yes, that was definitely our toughest game. Galway were the best team we played this year. You're only ever as good as you are allowed to be by the other team and Galway made it really difficult for us.

Your full-back, Noel Hickey had to withdraw from the Championship due to illness. How big a blow was that?
While it was awful to lose a player like Noel, the most important thing is that he makes a full recovery. We miss him on the field because he is a leader and has so much experience, but John Tennyson did very well when he came in and is definitely one for the future.

Who was your toughest opponent?
Every marker I came up against was difficult and it is hard to pick one because I chopped and changed positions this year a fair bit. If I had to pick one, I would say Galway's Tony Óg Regan. He is a tough hurler but he is also very fair.

Who was your childhood sporting hero?
DJ Carey was my hero when I was young. When Kilkenny won the double
in 1992/93 and I was 12 or 13, I looked up to him. On my first night training with the senior squad, he called me aside and welcomed me and wished me luck.

What is it like playing in the attack with DJ?
It is marvellous. DJ is DJ. In the Limerick match, when the need was there, he stood up. He is as important off the field as on the field because he is a natural leader, is great with the young players and a good talker in the dressing room. DJ never gives up, he's a fantastic hurler, he can hook and block and doesn't pull dirty strokes. It's a real honour to play alongside him.

What advice would you give to young players?
Just keep on practising. On the nights that you're not training, go outside and hit the ball off the wall to improve your skills. And make sure to work hard on your
weak side.

What are your hopes for next year?
First of all, I hope we give it our best shot and try our hardest, and never leave the field thinking we could have done more. The most important thing about playing hurling is to enjoy it. To win the All-Ireland next year would be an added bonus!

© December 2005

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