The prospect of Henry Shefflin returning to action during the NHL has been firmly ruled out by Kilkenny selector Martin Fogarty.

It was thought that the 10-time All Star, who is recovering from shoulder surgery, might feature towards the end of the campaign, but Fogarty insists his comeback is still a long way off and that he is unlikely to be seen in a Kilkenny jersey again until the Leinster SHC semi-final on June 23.

"Henry is miles away. He's not going to play in the league, not a hope, so you can forget about him for the league anyway," Fogarty told the Irish Daily Star.

The Cats are currently holidaying in Cancun, Mexico as a reward for winning the All-Ireland and, owing to the later start to this year's NHL, will still have plenty of time to get ready for their opening game against Tipperary on February 25 at Nowlan Park when they return.

"We seem to have a bit of a better run into it. It's good for everyone I think. Lads coming back off a winter break and having matches too early is not good," Fogarty continued.

"It's nice to get a bit of work and a bit of hurling done before you go into competition. To get up to the pace of a league game you need a couple of weeks of decent training going into it." Tweet

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