Was Cody right to start Shefflin?

[The Wedger]

It was always a risk. Even if he had lasted the 70, he would have spent the day avoiding tackles.
A physical game on a wet day is not the place to carry a player.
Maybe it was a sign of Cody under estimating Tipperary?

[AZOffaly]

This sort of 'Monday morning quarterback' ( to borrow an Americanism) stuff is easy to do, but it's not fair. It obviously didn't work, but was he right to try? Who knows? They obviously felt it was a risk worth taking. If you were thinking of playing him, it did show it was better to start him than bring him on. Imagine if you brought him on after 40 minutes and had to replace him again after 52 minutes? The fact he aggravated it can't have surprised the team, so I don't think it rattled them as such.

And I don't think it's a sign of Cody underestimating Tipp at all. I think it may actually reflect the fact that Cody hoped against hope that Shefflin would be okay, because he knew he probably needed him.

[Bogball XV]

a bad call from cody.  It made little sense to me as it pyschologically if he went off it would boost tipp and if he had come on with 10 left and 4 points in it, it would have put the fear of God in them.

All that said, even a fully fit shefflin of 3/4 yrs ago wouldn't have won that for them today.

[AZOffaly]

Bogball, I know what you are saying, but I think the conventional wisdom is that if there is a doubt, it's better to start him and take him off, than bring him on, have him break down, and take him off again.

In fairness, he probably shouldn't have been togged out at all.

[Bogball XV]

Bogball, I know what you are saying, but I think the conventional wisdom is that if there is a doubt, it's better to start him and take him off, than bring him on, have him break down, and take him off again.

In fairness, he probably shouldn't have been togged out at all.

no he shouldn't have been and i've been saying all week that the whole circus is great for tipp.  Training sessions etc are all very well, but we all know there's no replacement for the effort you'll put in when it'd for real.
I felt for him when he had to go off, it's never pleasant seeing one of the greats break down like that, and you'd have to wonder if we'll see him back on the big stage again.

[imtommygunn]

I think you will see him back. Shefflin won't want to go out like that.

May be hard to get motivated for the recovery but I don't think he's a boy that would struggle with motivation.

He now has two nightmares to put right - getting wrecked in AIF and also getting beat by Tipp. I imagine he'll want to go out on a high.

[Reillers]

A stupid decision, and hopefully there will be no repercussions, he's 31 years old, his second ACL injury, hopefully there will be no long term effects from a stupid, stupid decision. I know it sounded great in the media and the whole 8000 people turning up to see him play, abandoning the cars in the middle of the roads..etc. It was a ridiculous gamble and no ammount of work in less than 1 month will make up the healing and recovery that's supposed to be done by surgery and 7 odd months.

Hopefully there was no more damage done today, he's only 31 and should have a few years left and a lot more to give, so hopefully it'll be all right.

[Minder]

What about him starting Tennyson? Who had a fine game.

[orangeman]

It's the usual auld story - had KK won it would have been a great decision - as it is KK were bate and it's being labelled a bad decision.

It doesn't really matter now.

Henry will have his operation and be back out at it again next year.


Tennyson as Minder says had a great game. Was that a stupid decision as well ?.

[Reillers]

It's the usual auld story - had KK won it would have been a great decision - as it is KK were bate and it's being labelled a bad decision.

It doesn't really matter now.

Henry will have his operation and be back out at it again next year.


Tennyson as Minder says had a great game. Was that a stupid decision as well ?.

No it wouldn't have been a great decission because he lasted feck all time. As a player, it was a terrible decision for him, made by him and agreed to by the KK management.

[INDIANA]

This sort of 'Monday morning quarterback' ( to borrow an Americanism) stuff is easy to do, but it's not fair. It obviously didn't work, but was he right to try? Who knows? They obviously felt it was a risk worth taking. If you were thinking of playing him, it did show it was better to start him than bring him on. Imagine if you brought him on after 40 minutes and had to replace him again after 52 minutes? The fact he aggravated it can't have surprised the team, so I don't think it rattled them as such.

And I don't think it's a sign of Cody underestimating Tipp at all. I think it may actually reflect the fact that Cody hoped against hope that Shefflin would be okay, because he knew he probably needed him.

I agree. The fact is perhaps Cody knew kilkenny's form better then any of us including me who thought they were playing well. its always on the training pitch where a manager knows how well a team is going. Just maybe Cody felt kilkenny weren't going that well and needed their talisman on the pitch in some shape. The Cork game was no test for kilkenny whatsoever and Cody obviously knew it.
Kilkenny are lacking an inside forward like Eddie Keher that they have been famous for over the years. Eddie Brennan has lost the yard and Power was left on his own. that was their biggest problem today.
However why was TJ taken off
Really feel for Fennelly and tyrell who threw the kitchen sink at Tipp today

[Bogball XV]

What about him starting Tennyson? Who had a fine game.

was there not a difference in the types of injuries they both had, was it not thought form the outset that henry's was the more serious?  And whilst tennyson lasted, would lyng playing there have been detrimental for Kilkenny in any way?

[Tony Baloney]

It's the usual auld story - had KK won it would have been a great decision - as it is KK were bate and it's being labelled a bad decision.

It doesn't really matter now.

Henry will have his operation and be back out at it again next year.


Tennyson as Minder says had a great game. Was that a stupid decision as well ?.

Men aren't made on a production line. They play different positions and their bodies react differently to stresses and strains. There was no way of knowing whether it was a good decision or not until it became clear it was a bad decision! Cody could have wrecked Shefflin today but the Kilkenny ethos is focused on the collective rather than the individual, so he obviously felt he needed him out there. I thought he might have held him back and fired him on with 10 to go.

[Reillers]

This sort of 'Monday morning quarterback' ( to borrow an Americanism) stuff is easy to do, but it's not fair. It obviously didn't work, but was he right to try? Who knows? They obviously felt it was a risk worth taking. If you were thinking of playing him, it did show it was better to start him than bring him on. Imagine if you brought him on after 40 minutes and had to replace him again after 52 minutes? The fact he aggravated it can't have surprised the team, so I don't think it rattled them as such.

And I don't think it's a sign of Cody underestimating Tipp at all. I think it may actually reflect the fact that Cody hoped against hope that Shefflin would be okay, because he knew he probably needed him.

I agree. The fact is perhaps Cody knew kilkenny's form better then any of us including me who thought they were playing well. its always on the training pitch where a manager knows how well a team is going. Just maybe Cody felt kilkenny weren't going that well and needed their talisman on the pitch in some shape. The Cork game was no test for kilkenny whatsoever and Cody obviously knew it.
Kilkenny are lacking an inside forward like Eddie Keher that they have been famous for over the years. Eddie Brennan has lost the yard and Power was left on his own. that was their biggest problem today.
However why was TJ taken off
Really feel for Fennelly and tyrell who threw the kitchen sink at Tipp today

But sometimes they have to put a player, the good of the player ahead of the good of a team, if a player has a serious injury like Shefflin did, no matter how much of a talisman he is, shouldn't have been played, especially when it was only 17 days of recovery, instead of surgery and 7 or 8 months out. It was a stupid decision. Hopefully the decision wont cost Shefflin in any way.
It's so easy to look back and say in hindsight, what a stupid decision, but it was, and Cody's one eye tunnel vision could cost Shefflin a hell of a lot.

[imtommygunn]

I would tend to agree with Reillers here. The word I would use to describe playing shefflin is irresponsible and I hope there is no long term damage.