IT WILL BE lights, camera, action as Henry Shefflin makes his RTÉ punditry debut this weekend.
And the man whose nerveless point-taking defined a generation of hurlers knows that this will be a whole different ball game.
King Henry takes his first TV steps on Sunday when Limerick meet Clare in the Munster hurling championship opener.
Shefflin had no shortage of offers following his inter-county retirement, and turned down an approach from Sky Sports who made a big play to land him as the marquee name for their second season in the GAA.
The 10-time All-Ireland winner says it was tradition that sealed the deal and saw him join the RTÉ panel.
“I’ll be honest with you, I spoke to both parties and I was very impressed with both of them.
It just came back to growing up watching The Sunday Game. That’s what my parents watched, that’s what my friends and family would have watched.
“It was probably something I was always drawn to. That more than anything else was different.
“The analysis of games, whatever sport it might be, is at a very high level now and has improved so I’m looking forward to getting involved and seeing how it goes for myself.”
Shefflin joins an RTÉ stable that includes mainstays Ger Loughnane, Cyril Farrell and Tomás Mulcahy as well as his former Cats team-mate Eddie Brennan and old rival Donal Óg Cusack.
Another Kilkenny legend, JJ Delaney, has joined Sky where he will team up with Jamesie O’Connor and Ollie Canning for their hurling coverage.
“Everything else was pretty similar to be honest,” Shefflin said as he compared the two broadcasters.
“You think about the people you’re working with but to be fair the hurling community is fairly small and I know most of them.
“You then take into consideration some of the matches that are going to be shown and stuff like that. Obviously, The Sunday Game would be showing more matches in the summer. You can do the games live and you can do the night-time programme so again, that was a big difference.
“All those kind of things pushed me in the direction of The Sunday Game.”
Though he has played through some of the most dramatic moments in recent hurling history, Shefflin still expects some first-day nerves when he arrives in Semple Stadium on Sunday.
“It’s probably like yourselves starting out, doing it for the first time, you’re wary of it.
It’s different for me. When I was normally being interviewed it was after a match and that was it, you’d just say a few words and that’s it.
“But now [it's] your analysis and knowledge and stuff like that, and there’s a bit of work pre-match, so in that sense it will probably differ when the lights come on.
“Hopefully I won’t be too nervous but I think it will take a little bit of time to get used to. It’s like anything, you’ll get into a routine of it.”
Great player, but guaranteed to bore the hole off us I’d say. Hope though that Donal og gets a chance to question Henry about the extra hand pulling and dragging tactic brought into the game by the cats that he’s been highlightn over the last couple of years
Hope he doesn’t have the same sense of self importance that Cusack has though
That’s a typical Irish begrudging don’t let him get above his station attitude. If being incisive, critical, confident and articulate comes across as self important to you then so be it.
It’s hardly a tactic brought into the game by the cats. It’s a part of the game that has developed and all teams pull and drag, to pin it on KK teams just proves how insular your comment is.
Tell me one other team in hurling that were at it before Kilkenny please? They started it and perfected it under Cody’s tutelage under the guise of it being a “man’s game” whatever that’s supposed to be
The last final without Kilkenny saw a marked reduction in that kind of cynical play, Clare and cork actually played hurling, no coincidence methinks
You tell me, you seem to know when this all started. You think that KK play by different rules to everyone else? Play a different game to everyone else? You assume that refs and commentators see something different? Isn’t it grand for a Cork man to pick out a KK man when he’s got the stage.
What KK player was the first to do it? Is there even any proof of it?
When did Brian Cody ever train this into them?
You’re more than entitled to an opinion, but you’re blinkered at best.
Obviously I can’t pin it down to the very first person to do it. There would have always been a slight random element of pulling and dragging. All I know is Cody’s team’s were the first to do it systematically though. Cody put greater emphasis on the rangy player who could “use” his body to win his own ball. He had no great time for the smaller individualist such as Charlie Carter, cha FitzPatrick etc. It’s making hurling more like football and to me that’s sad and the game of hurling is poorer for it. I’d like to think a team like the 90′s offaly hurlers could compete today but I seriously doubt they’d stand a chance against Kilkenny’s pragmatism and cynicism.
Pretty sure there is no connection between why they left the panel and what you have conceived there.
It would be interesting to see if the Offaly team of 98 would compete at the level the game is played at today. That is the first Leinster and All Ireland I can remember being at.
You seem to remember hurling with rose tinted glasses though. Would they stand a chance against Tipp, Clare or even Dublin’s style of play?
Makes it all the sweeter seeing Cody and Kilkenny winning All Irelands to sicken c#nts like u O Uallaigh.
Whoa classy, easy up on the abusive language. I couldn’t care too much who wins the all Ireland as long as hurling doesn’t continue to evolve into a drag fest a la football.
He’ll be brilliant I’d say.
Nobody better than henry at the tugging before ball arrived.
Be careful the ditch doesn’t give way wth all the amazing hurlers we have on it here.Did ye ever hear of tipps legendary Hells Kitchen and that full back line is remembered for its teak toughness and a few on here whinge about what KK had brought to the game,get over it lads and look forward to the championship starting all over again
There’s a whole world of a difference between the wild free range sledging of the 60′s and 70′s and the slow creeping cynicism of that subtle tug and pull of the spare hand from a cat
Think it’s a paw a cat has, but don’t facts get in your way
Is that supposed to be a joke?!
Take a guess
I’ll get your coat so!
Get your coat so!
Your not so bad at the one liners yourself!!
Zing you got me,you are the king of one liners
Or 2 liners even
Jealous of kilkennys success at best !!
O hUallaigh……..hurling is already the most beautiful game in the world and it has been well before Kilkennys dominance over the past 15years, through their dominance and even up to this day it still holds the title of being a great great game.No matter who dominates the game will always be wonderful.Just that you dont like Kilkenny it dosnt mean that they have ruined and play the game differently to everyone else.If your like this the whole time you certainly missed out on two spectacular matches between the cats and tipp
His retirement speech was awful reading straight from the page, hardly a natural
Have liam sheedy and brendan cummins been given the boot so
The poor Auld cork boys jealous of kilkenny success