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Henry Shefflin

Personal information
Sport	Hurling
Irish Name	Anraí Ó Sibhleáin
Date of Birth	1 November 1979
Place of birth	Ballyhale, County Kilkenny
Height	6'2"
Nickname(s)	King Henry
Club information
Club	Ballyhale Shamrocks
Position	Forward
Club(s)*
Club	Years	Apps (scores)
Ballyhale	1990s-present
Inter County
County	Kilkenny
Position	Forward postion (mainly centre forward)
Inter County(ies)**
County	Years	Apps (scores)
Kilkenny	1999-present	35 (18-251)
Inter County Titles
Leinster Titles	7
All-Ireland	4
All-Stars	6
* club appearances and scores correct as of (22:47, 18 August 2006 (UTC)). **Inter County team apps and scores correct as of (17:55, 03 September 2006 (UTC)).

Henry Shefflin (born 1 November 1979) is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Ballyhale Shamrocks and with the Kilkenny senior inter-county team. He plays at centre-forward on both teams and is regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Hurling career 2.1 Club 2.2 Minor & Under-21 2.3 Senior 2.4 Records 3 External links

Henry Shefflin (nicknamed 'King Henry') was born in Ballyhale, County Kilkenny in 1979. He was educated locally and at St. Kieran's College in Kilkenny, one of the most famous hurling nurseries in Ireland. During his tenure there Shefflin won an All-Ireland Colleges title and established himself as a player of immense talent. He later attended Waterford Institute of Technology. While studying here he played on the college hurling team that won back-to-back Fitzgibbon Cup titles in 1999 and 2000. Shefflin graduated with a business degree and currently works with New Holland Finance, a subsidiary of Bank of Ireland Finance. His main area of responsibility is in the agri-business side of matters, handling the finance for all the New Holland tractor sales in the locality. His region of responsibility takes in the South-East region, including Tipperary, Kilkenny, Wexford, Carlow and Kildare.

Shefflin plays his local club hurling with Ballyhale Shamrocks and has had much success with the club at under-age level. It was rumoured in 2004 that he was moving clubs to play in Cork with Blackrock, however, this rumour was unfounded. In 2006 Shefflin won his first Kilkenny SHC title with the club. It was the club's first championship title since 1991. Shefflin later captained the side to a Leinster Senior Club Hurling title before claiming his first All-Ireland club medal on St. Patrick's Day, 2007.. As a result of this Shefflin is more than likely to be appointed captain of the Kilkenny senior hurling team for 2007.

Since beginning his playing career at inter-county level, the six foot two inches tall Kilkenny forward has had much success. At minor level Shefflin has won two Leinster titles, however, he failed to capture an All-Ireland title at this level. By 1999 Shefflin was playing on both the senior and under-21 Kilkenny teams. That year he won an All-Ireland medal with the under-21 side and began a very successful period with the senior hurling team.

In 1999 Shefflin made his senior championship debut under the new manager Brian Cody. That year he won his first Leinster title, however, a young, unfancied Cork side defeated Shefflin's side in the All-Ireland final. In 2000 he captured a second Leinster title which allowed Kilkenny to advance to another All-Ireland final. This time Shefflin ended up on the victorious side and claimed his first All-Ireland medal with a huge win over Offaly. Shefflin was later honoured with his first All-Star award. In 2001 Shefflin claimed his third Leinster medal, however, there was no All-Ireland title to celebrate. In 2002 Kilkenny were back on form and Shefflin captured his first National Hurling League titile. He subsequently claimed yet another Leinster title before later winning his second All-Ireland medal with a victory over Clare. He was once again presented with an All-Star award. In 2003 Kilkenny completed the so-called double-double by winning a second consecutive National League and All-Ireland title. The All-Ireland win over Cork gave Shefflin his third All-Star. In 2004 Kilkenny were aiming for the three-in-a-row of All-Ireland victories, however, the sidehad a less than successful year. They lost their Leinster crown to Wexford but reached the All-Ireland final via the qualifiers system. On the day they lost to an up-and-coming Cork side and Shefflin ended the year with nothing but another All-Star. In 2005 Shefflin won his third League title, his sixth Leinster medal and the scene looked set for a third consecutive show-down between Cork and Kilkenny in the final. Galway, however, put an end to Kilkenny's hopes in a thrilling semi-final at Croke Park. In 2006 Shefflin captured his fourth National League title in a close victory over Limerick. He later won his seventh Leinster title which allowed "the Cats" to progress and meet Cork in the All-Ireland final. On the day Kilkenny were too strong for Cork and Shefflin played a huge role in capturing Kilkenny's 29th title and his own fourth. He was subsequently honoured with another All-Star and several Hurler of the Year awards. Shefflin was also voted RTÉ's Sports Person of the Year 2006.

Shefflin's scoring prowess has earned him a place on the top ten list of all-time scoring greats in hurling. He is currently in third position along with fellow Kilkenny greats D.J. Carey and Eddie Keher. He was the top scorer in the 2006 senior hurling championship.

Preceded by Tommy Dunne (Tipperary)	Vodafone Hurler of the Year 2002	Succeeded by J.J. Delaney (Kilkenny)
	Texaco Hurler of the Year 2002
	Gaelic Players' Association Hurler of the Year 2002
Preceded by Jerry O'Connor (Cork)	Vodafone Hurler of the Year 2006	Succeeded by Incumbent
Preceded by Jerry O'Connor (Cork)	Texaco Hurler of the Year 2006	Succeeded by Incumbent
Preceded by John Gardiner (Cork)	Gaelic Players' Association Hurler of the Year 2006	Succeeded by Incumbent
Preceded by Seán Óg Ó hAilpín	RTÉ Sports Person of the Year 2006	Succeeded by Incumbent

	KIlkenny - All-Ireland Hurling Champions 2000 (26th title)
1 J. McGarry | 2 M. Kavanagh | 3 N. Hickey | 4 W. O'Connor (Capt.) | 5 P. Larkin | 6 E. Kennedy | 7 P. Barry | 8 A. Comerford | 9 B. McEvoy | 10 D. Byrne | 11 J. Power | 12 J. Hoyne | 13 C. Carter | 14 H. Shefflin | 15 D.J. Carey | Subs: C. Brennan | E. Brennan | Manager: B. Cody

	KIlkenny - All-Ireland Hurling Champions 2002 (27th title)
1 J. McGarry | 2 M. Kavanagh | 3 N. Hickey | 4 P. Larkin | 5 R. Mullally | 6 P. Barry | 7 J.J. Delaney | 8 D. Lynch | 9 A. Comerford | 10 J. Hoyne | 11 H. Shefflin | 12 J. Coogan | 13 E. Brennan | 14 M. Comerford | 15 D.J. Carey | Subs: C. Carter | B. McEvoy | J. Power | Manager: B. Cody

	KIlkenny - All-Ireland Hurling Champions 2003 (28th title)
1 J. McGarry | 2 M. Kavanagh | 3 N. Hickey | 4 J. Ryall | 5 S. Dowling | 6 P. Barry | 7 J.J. Delaney | 8 P. Mullally | 9 D. Lyng | 10 J. Hoyne | 11 H. Shefflin | 12 T. Walsh | 13 D.J. Carey | 14 M. Comerford | 15 E. Brennan | Subs: C. Phelan | R. Mulally | A. Comerford | J. Coogan | Manager: B. Cody

	KIlkenny - All-Ireland Hurling Champions 2006 (29th title)
1 J. McGarry | 2 M. Kavanagh | 3 N. Hickey | 4 J. Tyrrell (Capt.) | 5 James Ryall | 6 J. Tennyson | 7 T. Walsh | 8 J. 'Cha' Fitzpatrick | 9 D. Lyng | 10 R. Power | 11 H. Shefflin | 12 E. Larkin | 13 E. Brennan | 14 M. Comerford | 15 A. Fogarty | Subs: W. O'Dwyer | R. Mulally | Manager: B. Cody

	Kilkenny Senior Hurling Team 2006
1 J. McGarry | 2 M. Kavanagh | 3 N. Hickey | 4 J. Tyrrell (Capt.) | 5 J. Ryall | 6 J. Tennyson | 7 T. Walsh | 8 J. 'Cha' Fitzpatrick | 9 D. Lyng | 10 R. Power | 11 H. Shefflin | 12 E. Larkin | 13 E. Brennan | 14 M. Comerford | 15 A. Fogarty | 16 P.J. Ryan | 17 B. Hogan | 18 R. Mullally | 19 S. Maher | 20 J. Dalton | 21 P.J. Delaney | 22 M. Fennelly | 23 M. Rice | 24 E. McCormack | 25 W. O'Dwyer | 26 P. Cleere | 27 A. Murphy | 28 E. Reid | 29 S. Cummins | 30 S. O'Neill | 31 R. O'Neill | 32 J.J. Delaney | 33 D. Cody | Manager: B. Cody

• Official GAA Website
• Profile of Henry Shefflin
• Kilkenny GAA on Hogan Stand
• Official Kilkenny Website