Henry Shefflin's 'huge opportunity' with Galway: JJ Delaney on Kilkenny legend's first intercounty job

Henry Shefflin's appointment as Galway manager came from left-field, and even those close to the 10-time All-Ireland winner were taken aback.

"It was a surprise. There were no rumours whatsoever. Usually these things are touted two or three weeks in advance," said Shefflin's former Kilkenny team-mate JJ Delaney.

"We're in a Whatsapp group with him, and he texted us a couple of hours before it was announced, just to let us know. I was [thinking], 'am I reading this right?'.

"We couldn't believe it! 'Are you messing with us or what?'. But it was announced then. We all just said 'best of luck with it. It's a big job'.

"I'd love to see him going well. He's gaining experience - selfishly from a Kilkenny point of view. He'll eventually take over Kilkenny at intercounty whenever it is, in a few years down the road. So he's gathering experience now, so he'll bring it home. We're saying to him, 'make all the mistakes in Galway, all you want! Bring back the experience to Kilkenny!'."

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He'll eventually take over Kilkenny at intercounty whenever it is, in a few years down the road.

Delaney feels that although there might not be immediate success, there is a "huge opportunity" for his team-mate of 14 years.

"It's great for himself, when an opportunity like that comes up. they're a big county. Plenty of hurlers down in Galway. They've shown that down through the years," said the Sky Sports pundit.

"It's a huge opportunity for himself as well. In fairness, he's after surrounding himself with good guys. Richie O'Neill, he brought him up from Kilkenny. Damien Joyce, he'd know him from college down in Waterford. Good guy around Galway too. He has a good backroom team there.

"It's a huge opportunity for him. It will be very weird to see him on the line against (Brian) Cody come championship up in Salthill. It's going to bring extra spice to the Leinster Championship, seeing him there."

'Anything he does is 120 per cent'

Shefflin's achievements as both a player and as a two-time All-Ireland winning manager with Ballyhale Shamrocks will see him command respect, as he takes the reins of a Galway team going through transition.

"All of those young lads coming through, they were probably looking at Henry Shefflin playing all down through the years," Delaney said.

"He consistently performed on the big day. That's what he brought to the table. But I'd say they're impressed by his attitude, the professionalism he brings, anything he does is 120 per cent. He doesn't do anything [half-hearted].

"He sees a lot of things. 'As individuals, you have to bring a bit of teamwork to your game. Give it to the best man in the best position'. He was never a 'mé-féiner'. He was always the ultimate team player.

"He'll bring work-rate to the forwards that maybe wasn't there before. He'll demand that. Any Galway player, any six forwards that get on that team, they'll have to work first and foremost. If the back beats you to the ball, you go back and take it off him. That's what he demands. That's what he did as a player. He'll demand that from those Galway forwards."

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Delaney feels there is huge potential in the Tribe panel, as Shefflin embarks on his first championship at the helm.

"It is [a long-term project]. He has the three years at the moment," he added.

"He cut the panel. A few guys that were consistently on the panel the last couple of years were left off it. So he's putting his own stamp on the thing.

"It will be interesting to see what way it will go...If you take Limerick, Cork, Kilkenny, Waterford, you can probably name 13 of the [starting] 15 straight away. But with Galway, you can't. You probably have a handful - six or seven guys who are the mainstays of that team. But you couldn't name 13. Which might play into Henry's hand. Because if you can't predict the team, you can't plan to play against it.

"The first game is a huge game for them, Galway against Wexford. If they win the Wexford game, with Kilkenny coming up to Salthill, they'll be taking control of the group.

"You need to win the first one. You really do."

Sky Sports' live GAA coverage gets under way on Saturday, April 16, with exclusive coverage of Wexford vs Galway in the Leinster Hurling Championship, followed by Fermanagh vs Tyrone in the Ulster Football Championship.