Henry Shefflin had removed the scalp that was Brendan Maher's Tipperary jersey and just wanted to be away. Plenty of work to do on that healing stress fractured foot of his.
Having acceded to television interview requests he was seeking the sanctity of the changing room. But decency saw him check his stride, returning to a crowd of dictaphones in the narrow corridor in Nowlan Park.
Hesitantly it began (“I don’t need to be in the papers at the moment, lads”) with reporters stumbling over each other to land the opening question.
Henry, what happened since Brian Cody told us six days ago that you were definitely not going to make it?
“To be honest I did a small bit Monday night for the first time...”
Translation: he hurled the living daylights out of some defender for 20 minutes in order to prove his mobility.
“Brian was right in what he said last week because that was the first time [since September]. I then had a decision to make at that stage with my surgeon. The surgeon said he was not going to stop me but he would rather if I gave it another couple of weeks.I told Brian I am willing to tog out and he was happy with that and that was it.”
The contest was riveting before Shefflin’s arrival but the ripple of excitement down at the far corner caught many people’s attention around the hour mark. The king was warming up.
A jolt of electricity went around the ground when he took the field, being met by an interesting man-marker in Noel McGrath. The first ball dropped almost immediately, with Shefflin gently deflecting it infield.
Twitter whirred into action with Dublin dual player Ciarán Kilkenny noting: “Flick of class there from Shefflin #kinghenry” It seemed like he was hobbling?
“No, no my foot is fine now. It’s a stress fracture so a limp didn’t come with it, it’s just if the pressure comes on it too much it’ll come back again. But hopefully I can manage it and try and build it up again.”
Genuine concern
That's a genuine concern for Cody ahead of next Saturday. What to do with him if trouble is brewing against Waterford?
“Ah, I wouldn’t be able to play a 70-minute match, no way. ‘Cos I haven’t done it. You know I’ve only done 20 minutes of training basically, that’s it. In a hurling aspect I’ve been doing straight line running in runners and stuff.
“Only put on my boots two weeks ago and my helmet last week, so I suppose I would have rather if we had another couple of weeks. But I’m gradually building it back up and just delighted to be part of it more than anything else now.”
The idea of losing to Tipperary in Nowlan Park frighten Kilkenny back to life? “Of course it did, there’s no point in saying otherwise.”
It was a night he will always remember and wishes for more of them in provincial grounds before it all ends.
“For the group I think it being here in Nowlan Park; there was a lot written about ourselves and I suppose the older players. You know if they had lost tonight there’d have been question marks over them.”
