Former Kilkenny corner-back Paul Murphy believes Henry Shefflin’s time managing Galway has given him the experience and knowledge needed to take on the role of Kilkenny senior hurling manager.
Shefflin was officially ratified as the new Cats boss by the Kilkenny GAA County Board last night, returning to lead his native county after a spell in charge of Galway from 2022 to 2024.
The Ballyhale Shamrocks legend, who won ten All-Ireland senior hurling medals during a decorated playing career, has also managed his club, Thomastown’s intermediate side and Kilkenny’s Under-20 team.
Murphy says Shefflin’s move into inter-county management came quickly, but believes the lessons learned with Galway have helped prepare him for the challenge ahead.
“He entered inter-county management very quickly. A lot of lads go club for quite a while, but Henry went to Galway with huge expectations on his shoulders.”
The former defender feels Shefflin has used that experience to develop as a coach and believes he is now ready to lead Kilkenny.
“In that time up as far as now, I think there has been a lot of learning done. He obviously feels he is in a strong enough position to do the job with Kilkenny.”
Shefflin succeeds Derek Lyng as Kilkenny manager and takes charge of a county looking to return to the top of the hurling landscape.
