FORMER OFFALY STAR Michael Duignan believes Kilkenny should start veterans Henry Shefflin and Tommy Walsh in the All-Ireland hurling final replay against Tipperary on Sunday.
The two-time All-Ireland winner feels that Brian Cody should parachute Kilkenny’s decorated duo into the starting fifteen as the Cats and Tipp renew their battle for the Liam MacCarthy cup.
Shefflin featured as a 66th minute substitute in the drawn game while Walsh failed to make it off the bench, but they bring a wealth of experience with 17 All-Irelands and 20 Allstars between them. And Duignan feels that could be the difference.
“In a game like that, when it seems to be a given where John O’Dwyer or Noel McGrath is going to score three or four points from play, if that is a given I’d have Tommy Walsh in the team.
“The reason he was dropped was that Danny Sutcliffe scored points like that off him once or twice but if lads are going to be putting up scores like that, with the light sliothar and the speed of the game, imagine the amount of ball he’d score in a loose, open game like that?
“I’d start both himself and Shefflin. I think Tommy would last the pace, even if his man does score a few points. That’s the way it’s gone. Tipperary have an exceptional forward line, they’ve six exceptional forwards, you’re not going to keep them quiet.
“I’d start him because of the influence he could bring, the amount of ball he’d be on, his striking, his distribution, his ability to score from distance as well. No disrespect to Joey Holden but he’s a man marker, I don’t think he has that range of hurling that Tommy has.
Duignan can see Shefflin making a big impact on the game if he’s given the chance and feels it wouldn’t harm Kilkenny’s chances even if he couldn’t last the full 70 minutes.
“The frustration that Henry has must be massive at this stage. I’ve argued that playing him on the wing at 35 years of age, he mightn’t have the pace but anywhere along the full-forward line I think he could have a bearing and it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if he had to go off.
“Remember Canavan went off (in an All-Ireland final and came back on) that’s not beyond the bounds of possibility either!
“He’s so well regarded in Kilkenny, he’s such an influence and if he gets a chance or two he’s going to take them.
“If you had someone there playing really well and you were leaving him off for them but I think there is a couple of gaps in that Kilkenny forward line.”
The RTÉ pundit feels that Kilkenny would have had the greater bounce in their step going back into training, because Tipp should have beaten them on the first time of asking, having played so well.
“I don’t know whether I’m right or wrong but you’d be thinking the Tipp lads, going back on Tuesday, were thinking “we should have won the All-Ireland, we hurled so well, had all those goal chances, and now we have to wait three more weeks.
“Whereas the Kilkenny lads would be going back to training on Tuesday night thinking ‘we’re back training again’ because that’s what they do and that’s what they’ve been doing for so long, that’s in their psyche.
“They’d be surprised at how well Tipperary played and still didn’t get over the line.”
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Duignan was speaking alongside Meath legend Bernard Flynn, at the launch of the new GAA app, GAAStars – a free social media network that is designed to unite the GAA community across the globe.
Duignan it’s the likes of you that have Offaly hurling in its current state, fear at the very sight of a KK jersey never mind having to play them, maybe if you took 5 minutes off from the worship you might encourage a few of your county men to believe they can beat KK too. As a Tipp man I admire what KK have achieved in last 15 years but every time Tipp take to the field to play KK I believe 100% that we will beat them, take off the KK jersey and start encouraging your own stock to believe the same
How many times hav ye beaten us in last 10 yrs
18 Finals 10 Tipp 7 KK 1 Draw…….Hurling didn’t start 10 years ago
No it didn’t but last time I checked it was 34 to 26 senior all-Ireland’s in favour of kk and 10 years ago it was, wait a minute…28 to 25 also with cats on top…!
B4 intro of Galway and improvement of Dublin in Leinster, KK got to semi final without breaking a sweat every year for last 15/16 years, if KK had to fight to get out of Munster every year like Tipp, Cork etc. you would have as many titles. KK May have more All Ireland titles but as already explained Tipp have better head to head against KK
Darren your argument of a better head to head against kk seems almost laughable considering the amount of times Tipp and Kilkenny have met in championship hurling in the last while. Now if you want to start going back to the sixties and seventies, you can live there if you want. Your other point is also the much tramelled nonsense of trying to lessen this great team’s achievement. Many would argue a tougher provincial championship places you in much better stead for All Ireland final day. Are you trying to say that a provincial championship game played in July influences the outcome of a semi-final in August or a final in September. Rubbish! Kilkenny have beaten every Munster team in an All-Ireland final in Cody’s reign and have done so convincingly in most cases. This year they had a much tougher semi against Limerick than Tipp had against Cork and yet Liam is going back Noreside again. And if they lost you wouldn’t hear the feeble excuses like the ones you’ve just offered.
Michael Duignan or Brian Cody? I know whose judgement I’ll put my faith in.
I think starting sheff would be a huge mistake, it would send the signal to tipp that their struggling to come up with a starting 15. Nobody fears sheff anymore but having him as an option off the bench is a good ace in the hole should they need it. And im a tipp man
Duignan how you ever got a role on TV or anywhere bemuses me. You hate every county except the old Faithfull which is your own. How the fook would ya start Shefflin ? He’s a shell of a player and I’m sure Cody would be lashing back the whiskey if he took that advice from ya. Much preferred Cyril with Canning on the commentary a man who knows his stuff.
Ah lads he’s only giving his opinion.no need for that and on top of that he has a huge huge knowledge(more than us anyway) of the game considering he was a class player in his day
Wouldn’t start them on Saturday though
I wouldnt even tell them the time of the throw-in #hon’tipp
Spot on Michael. Also best Co commentator in the game. Cody is stubborn on this one. Could have done it like what Mickey Harte did with Canavan a few years ago. I.e start him, sub off and sub back in. Genius!
Shefflin’s legs are gone unfortunately, and starting him would be a big mistake I think. He didn’t contribute when introduced the last day against Tipp, and his main contribution against Limerick was giving Gavin O’Mahony the butt of his hurl.
And that’s why his a pundit, not a county manger