Groundhog day. Twelve months ago Henry Shefflin revealed that a stress fracture of the second metatarsal in his left foot would finally end an unbroken run of 59 championship matches, dating back to 1999, for the Kilkenny hurlers.
He duly missed the opening Leinster championship tie against Offaly along with the draw and replay with Dublin before all too brief cameos against Tipperary, Waterford and the Cork defeat, when he was sent off (the red card that was later rescinded).
The nine-time All Star suffered a recurrence of the fracture in the league final victory over Tipperary on May 3rd, which he exacerbated at training the following Tuesday, that rules him out of this season’s Offaly meeting on June 7th.
That Leinster championship quarter-final marks Sky Sports first ever live broadcast of hurling.
Shefflin’s surgeon has recommended that the 35-year-old doesn’t lace up a boot for six weeks so the semi-final, probably against Galway, on June 22nd also looks like a non-runner with the provincial final at Croke Park on July 6th a more realistic target - assuming of course Kilkenny get there.
An aching pain on the base of his foot led to a scan that confirmed the fracture. An operation is not required with the hard ground responsible for the injury, Shefflin revealed at this morning’s Centra hurling launch.
Shefflin has previously undergone surgery on his shoulder and both anterior cruciate ligaments, famously attempting to play the 2010 All-Ireland final when Kilkenny were going for five-in-a-row. He lasted just 13 minutes and Tipperary went on to reclaim the Liam MacCarthy cup.
