He's one of the few players of whom it can honestly be said that he has won games that the team he was playing on had no right to. That's no insult to anyone and he plays more as a part of a unit with Portumna than he has ever done in college or with Galway who are arguably too dependent on him. He is also one of the few players of my lifetime that you'd nearly go to a match just to see him. DJ was same, as was Tony Doran, and Ring had the same charisma by all accounts. Shefflin maybe doesn't have the same sort of thing going for him and has always been part of teams that could probably have survived without him which is tribute to Cats and Shamrocks rather than a deficit on his part. BUT the records speak for themselves and whether its scoring averages, All Stars, club titles or All Irelands Henry at the moment is the greatest player of his generation and possibly the most effective hurling forward of all time.

hurlingdub (Dublin) - Posts: 6978 - 18/03/2010 16:12:41    591610

Canning is good but shefflin is awesome!!
1.14 last year in that all ireland semi. 1.13 against clare in 06. Hes just a class apart.
Then that brialliant goal against limerick. most players woudnt have the vision to that..
Also, cha was back to his best yday. Kilkenny will take beating this year. There only playin with a half team adm and stil teams are struggling to beat them.

Lofty (Monaghan) - Posts: 727 - 18/03/2010 17:08:55    591704

I'm in no way doubting how good joe canning is but when your the main player on a team and everyting goes threw him he's going to look even better. It's more a mark for shefflin when your have a great all-round team and still stand out which he has with ballyhale and kilkenny.

But if i was given the choice of canning or shefflin on my team i'd choose canning mainly because he is so young and yet to reach his peak!

Hag_and_Cheese (Tipperary) - Posts: 6103 - 18/03/2010 17:10:56    591710

For me the King is the best hurler that I've ever seen. The things he has done in games are actually too numerous to recall. It has been an absolute pleasure to watch him hurl and I hope to see him for another couple of years yet. We are very lucky to have been alive to see him with a camán in his hand. He is our Ring.

Now Canning may turn out to be as good as or even better than Shefflin given time. At the moment he is already great but he has a bit to go before he is in the same class as the King. Last year he was good but not great from play in the championship but I expect he will fulfill on his massive potential in the future.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13804 - 18/03/2010 17:35:02    591760

Impossible to compare them really. Henry is 10 years older for a start and has been playing in the greatest hurling team of all time in recent years. Joe is still 21 and will never win as many senior All-Ireland's as Henry. That said Joe is a far better player at 21 than Henry ever was.

Even after losing yesterday Joe was on the pitch for a good while afterwards signing autographs and having his photo taken and most of them were with Kilkenny people which shows the regard in which he is held already.

Marooned (Galway) - Posts: 2393 - 18/03/2010 18:01:12    591812

Shefflin is a manufactured hurler who has'nt a fraction of the ability that DJ Carey had. Tommy Walsh, Eddie Brennan, JJ Delaney, or Eoin Larkin each have far more ability than Henry. He is very consistent in fairness, but is no way the legend that people are making him out to be.

Brendan Bowens (Galway) - Posts: 164 - 18/03/2010 22:02:53    592115

I would go to a match just to see Canning play, i cant say the same for Shefflin.
Canning just has that spark as someone else said, you nearly hold your breath every time he gets the ball.
Comparing Henry Shefflins achievemnts with Kilkenny is a bit of a red herring as Galway will never match that and thus JC wont ever have those titles.

bosch (Derry) - Posts: 873 - 19/03/2010 09:10:22    592135

pudderscatt!!! wait till canning is in his 30s and he shud hav plenty more achievments..
he is a 1 man show but shefflin has plenty of help and wasn as good from play as joe canning in the club final..

ScoobyDoo (Tipperary) - Posts: 96 - 19/03/2010 09:12:06    592136

Thats a good one about Shefflin being a manufactured hurler Bowens. I thought ye knew something about the game up there in Galway. There is absolutely no comparison between Joe Canning and. Henry Shefflin. Shefflin wins this one by a country mile. Canning will probably win the best hurler to never win an All Ireland by the time he hangs up his boots though.

kingdomfan (Kerry) - Posts: 393 - 19/03/2010 09:46:42    592152

canning is already way ahead of shefflin. a lot of people are comparing them by comparing canning and shefflins club and countys achievmants. you cant do that. shefflin has always had better players around him. canning carrys every team he plays on. he's a freak he's that good. by the time he's finished he could possibly go down as the greatest ever. no comparision here

32_4_1 (Meath) - Posts: 4160 - 19/03/2010 10:44:51    592208

is there something in the water in Galway...first ondabutton....now Bowens and Shefflin being a manufactured hurler........good lord.....I'd love to be able to "manufacture" another 14 shefflins...sure if it was that easy every county would do it......

I can see why Galway people should take great pride in young Joe, who is a fantastic player and could be one of the greats....but Henry already is one of the greats.

Puddersthecat (Kilkenny) - Posts: 1692 - 19/03/2010 10:45:23    592209

Brendan Bowens:

I've heard it all now manufactured hurlers!!!! How in blue blazes do you manufacture hurlers and if so why aren't all counties. could you give me the contact of the manufacturing plant that manufactured shefflin and also how much would a half a dozen shefflins cost. He's a hurler not a boy band. probably the most rediculas post I've ever read on hoganstand!!

Hag_and_Cheese (Tipperary) - Posts: 6103 - 19/03/2010 10:49:08    592218

Hopefully Tyrone will be able to manufacture some hurlers of Shefflin's standards!

orange and blue (Tyrone) - Posts: 1080 - 19/03/2010 10:56:28    592232

To all u scribes who are still on the Henry bandwagon, please read my post again, if necessary get ur friends to help. You should note that l was'nt comparing Shefflin to Canning, but was comparing him to DJ Carey and a number of his current team mates, who have far more natural ability than Henry. He has got to the level he is at now by being a good free taker, being physically strong, having a good command of the basic skills, being extremely consistent on the big day, and by being surrounded on the current Kilkenny team by some of the greatest players to ever play the game who make him look good. He did'nt make the St. Kierans teams, and was an average minor player. So get off the bandwagon, Shefflin would'nt lace DJ Careys boots, though if u want a team of steady joes he's first pick. If u want a team of natural genius, u should be rolling out the likes of DJ, Tommy Walsh, or Eoin Kelly(Tipp). Now i'm sure u'l all spend the rest of ur Friday afternoons at work in a rage! the message board will possibly even be clogged up with replies slating this reporter! BRING IT ON!

Brendan Bowens (Galway) - Posts: 164 - 19/03/2010 13:02:42    592432

what dose that have to do with it, he didn't make the u16 team when he was 14, i was on the u16 team at home when i was 13 hence i should count myself as better than henry.

He has a proven track record and what about joe last year a poor year in senior i think you'll find 90% of his scores were from placed balls.

"He has got to the level he is at now by being a good free taker, being physically strong, having a good command of the basic skills, being extremely consistent on the big day" I don't know but that would be my definition of a top sportsman, would canning not be in the same mould??

Hag_and_Cheese (Tipperary) - Posts: 6103 - 19/03/2010 15:15:16    592588

he had to work harder than any other player to get to fitness but i'd still prefer to have Henry than any other player playing now. So because he worked hard he's not a natural hurler. the vision he has can't be manufactured simple as....

KKid (Kilkenny) - Posts: 421 - 19/03/2010 15:22:50    592606

Hurling needs a few more boys like JC... That way it may just be around in 20yrs.

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20763 - 19/03/2010 15:25:12    592607

Lads, in all fairness ignore brendan bowens. Joker.

Jimbob - don't think you need fear for the future of hurling. I think this league has proven how competitive it's getting. A few totally non traditional counties are making real strides and threatening to join dublin at the top table in a few years. Good luck to them.

I think we're so lucky to live in a time when we have the likes of JC and Henry who are both once in a generation hurlers in their own right. It gives the likes of us loads of ammunition for talking in the pub in november and making pointless comparisons. Great fun!

I hope by the time JC is 31 or 32 there's another guy coming through who captures the imagination like he does at the minute.

Well done to both teams on Paddys day, probably the two best club teams that I've ever seen!

bain taitneamh as bhur deireadh seachtaine...

hurlinspuds (Cork) - Posts: 1494 - 19/03/2010 18:44:54    592920

Joe Canning is a brilliant hurler in his own right. Remarkable at his age that he doesn't have to prove anything. Also Joe doesn't have the quality support players that Shefflin has had all his career. Joe Canning is heavily marked every game and makes alot of the scores himself. Henry Shefflin on the other hand cannot be marked as closely or else you are leaving Brennan, Comerford and co loose. Also Shefflin gets a lot of gifted scores from his teammates. No one is denying his quality as probably the best hurler of all time but ya have to cut Joe some slack here, he doesn't have it as easy as Shefflin in comparision.

Mick14 (Limerick) - Posts: 766 - 19/03/2010 20:03:16    593009

hag and cheese
could you leave out the jcanning and placed balls argument
canning's average from play is higher than shefflin
but that doesnt necessarily make him the better player just because of that

conordee (Galway) - Posts: 453 - 19/03/2010 20:10:00    593021