‘It’s disrespectful’ – Henry hits out at talk of him taking over from Brian Cody

HURLING legend Henry Shefflin has hit out at “disrespectful” talk linking him with the Kilkenny senior job while Brian Cody remains the top Cat.

Shefflin, who won a record 10 All-Ireland medals with his county, has also brought his winning mentality into coaching: he recently guided Ballyhale Shamrocks to the All-Ireland club title in his first year in charge.

Perhaps inevitably, this has led to speculation in some quarters that ‘King Henry’ is the ideal candidate to take over the top coaching job in the county when Cody eventually calls it a day.

The Ballyhale man admits he’d like to have a crack at coaching the inter-county side at some point in the future.

But he insists he views this as a long-term goal.

“I’ve a young family at home. And look, Brian is the greatest manager of all time in Kilkenny hurling so I think it’s a bit disrespectful for people to even mention it,” he told reporters at the launch of the Bank of Ireland Celtic Challenge in Croke Park.

He admits inter-county management would interest him in the future, but says he’s still got “an awful lot to learn”.

Shefflin added: “It’s a massive step up. It’s like going from being a club player to an inter-county player, there’s so much to learn.

“From listening and talking to the lads, the level of detail involved, the commitment levels are just astronomical.”