Joe Canning has a go at Shefflin for moaning at referees

[Premier Emperor]

Canning takes aim at Shefflin conduct

JACKIE CAHILL

GALWAY'S JOE Canning believes that Kilkenny's Henry Shefflin was guilty of unsportsmanlike conduct in last Sunday's All-Ireland senior hurling final.

And Canning insisted the Cats were handed "very easy frees" by referee Barry Kelly in the Croke Park showpiece.

Canning admitted Kilkenny are a bit "cuter" when it comes to dealing with officials on the field of play and he referenced a first-half incident when Shefflin ran "30 or 40 yards down the field" to remonstrate with Kelly.

Canning, who converted a free in the third minute of stoppage time to tie the game, also revealed how his direct opponent JJ Delaney was unhappy with Shefflin's decision to take a point from a 68th-minute penalty.

Canning, 23, was speaking to reporters yesterday at Semple Stadium in Thurles at an event to promote Saturday's Bord Gáis Energy All-Ireland Under-21 hurling finals.

And he stoked the fires ahead of the eagerly-awaited senior rematch with Kilkenny on September 30th by admitting: "I suppose they are a bit cuter. In one instance in the first half, Henry ran 30 or 40 yards down the field and was giving out to Barry Kelly and Damien Hayes for a free.

"That's not sportsmanlike either at the same stage. That's the way it goes – that's probably the experience they have. Hopefully we can get that and use it to our advantage as well. You need everything you can get during those games."

Canning also admitted he mishit the late equalising free that ensured a replay between the sides on September 30th.

He said: "I kind of mishit the last one, to be honest, I didn't mean to hit it that low. There were three Kilkenny players in front of me, it was lucky enough it went over."

Canning said he did not see the controversial late award, when Kilkenny defender Jackie Tyrrell was penalised for a tangle with Galway substitute Davy Glennon.

He said: "I don't know – to be straight up about it I didn't see it. I was over the far side, in at full-forward. I didn't actually watch the match since.

"I don't know – obviously I've read papers and stuff. Some people say it wasn't a free and others say that it was. You get stuff during a match as well – when they got a ball moved forward 15 yards and the same thing happened in the second half with the same players involved, and it didn't get moved for us and we could have been in for a score.

"You get them things during a match. I thought, on the field, sometimes they influenced frees and stuff like that. So they got very easy frees during the game as well. We're happy enough, if it was an easy free, to take it."

And Canning lifted the lid on Kilkenny defender Delaney's reaction to Shefflin's 68th-minute point, when the eight-time All-Ireland medallist put the ball over the bar when a goal would have put the champions three points clear.

When Canning was asked if he thought that Shefflin was about to go for the jugular as he stood over the penalty, he replied: "Yeah I thought he was.

"JJ wasn't too impressed anyway behind me! He thought he should have went for it as well. People asked me after what I would have done. I probably would have went for a point as well because at that time of the game, a point was very crucial. If he missed it, people would said why didn't he tap it over the bar.

"It's a very thin line and he's probably the most experienced player on the pitch. At the time, he thought it was the right thing to do. If it was saved and we went down the pitch and got a point or a goal, it could have swung things in our favour. He probably took the right decision at that time in the match."

Canning added: "He probably would have went for it himself. 'I'll just put it that way!'"

On his own late equalising free Canning admitted he had "massive doubts" before standing up to convert.

He had missed a similar chance just a few minutes earlier and he said: "Obviously you have doubts and I had massive doubts from missing the one before but that's part and parcel of it as well.

"That's the one I think of more than the one I scored, how the outcome might have been different, but then you never know, if you'd got the first one you mightn't have got the chance for the second one, so you never know."

Canning went on: "You're just trying to concentrate on getting the lift right, getting the strike right. I've had the same routine for years, since you're young every free-taker has the same routine, maybe tweaks it or whatever but you have to trust it, no matter what. That's all I was concentrating on, hoping not to have everyone in Galway after my head afterwards!"

Canning also admitted that he did not enjoy the experience of a first All-Ireland SHC final because of the huge pressures involved.

He stated: "I think when you're out on the field, you don't enjoy it. It's not a place to enjoy it – you enjoy it after the match if you win and obviously you don't enjoy it if you lose. But when you're playing in such a high-intensity game, mentally more so than anything, the mistakes and stuff are costing you that extra point or two in a match, you don't enjoy those things.

"And anybody that says , I personally don't believe them if they say they enjoy playing a match like that.

"It's a thing you look back on and say, yeah, I've played in it but at the end of the day, you want to do your best and it's like training, when you're training as hard as you can, you don't enjoy running them laps or anything like that.

"It's the same as a match – when it's high intensity, you don't enjoy that."

Canning was also pleased with the performance of referee Kelly, insisting that every hurler deserves the freedom to express himself on the field of play.

He said: "Everybody is protected on the field. Nobody goes out to hurt another player or anything like that, or do anything stupid. At the end of the day, you go out to hurl and everybody is the same.

"That was the way it was on Sunday. Everybody went out just to hurl their own patch and that's the way it should be."

[Premier Emperor]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2012/0913/1224323958290.html

[seafoid]

I'd say JJ Delaney will be bulling. Fair play to Joe for giving some decent copy for a
Thursday morning.

[Tubberman]

Dangerous game for Joe to be playing, if he's playing a game at all. Maybe he's just saying what he thinks which would be refreshing!

[seafoid]

Dangerous game for Joe to be playing, if he's playing a game at all. Maybe he's just saying what he thinks which would be refreshing!

It's great that he isn't playing for Jim McGuinness.

[Milltown Row2]

Decent interview and nothing on that would suggest that he was angling any mind games or putting anyone down. Fair play Joe

[johnneycool]

I think he's saying what everyone knows about Henry. Give out to the referee every so often and a lot of them think a lot harder before giving another one against you.

[nrico2006]

I do remember one obvious case on Sunday when Shefflin started throwing the hands up and reacting as if he had been personally offended and the ref moved the ball forward from what was a difficult enough free to pretty straightforward one.  No harm in highlighting his whinging if it makes the referee think twice about hios behaviour next time out.

[homeofhurling8]

I think Henry is gone fierce cranky in his old age (no more than our own Eoin Kelly btw), his default mode seems to be stuck on moan,  he even does the moaning bug eyed dance when he wins a free 

I thought Kelly handled the verbals well on Sunday, a few lads got "the stare" accompanied by his patented fly swatting routine, i would prefer Kellys method to Gavins smiley,jokey one of the lads routine, hit me another sceilp there Tommy, sure i know you were scaring that wasp away 

By the way spare us the cliches (I'm looking at you Breheny) about Joes words firing up Sheff and co for the replay, its an all Ireland final ffs.

[Shamrock Shore]

spare us the cliches (I'm looking at you Breheny)

LOL - that's like asking a bear to change his toilet habits or asking the Pope to perhaps think of it as a chalice of pretty awful tasting white wine.

[From the Bunker]

Have to say, we must be fed up with the old lets not step on Kilkenny's toes, cos if you do they will get you and you will remember it. Just because Henry Shefflin has won more medals that the average Joe (to use the pun) does not mean he can't be scrutanised. We heard the horse sh*te already about Kilkenny hurting from the Leinster final and you have to pay for that hurt, because no one does that to kilkenny.

[Ash Smoker]

I think Henry is gone fierce cranky in his old age (no more than our own Eoin Kelly btw), his default mode seems to be stuck on moan,  he even does the moaning bug eyed dance when he wins a free 

The "Shefflin Shuffle" when he wins a free.
- Stamp and then jump from one foot to the other
- Throw the ball on the gound
- Swat thin air with the hurley, holding it one-handed and half way up the shaft
- Glare at the ref and let fly with the verbals.

The ref then books the player who fouled.

[Fairhead]

I dont think theres much in that interview to get excited about but the press being the press have lapped it up. An u12, never mind Henry Shefflin, should not be running up to refs to give out about frees. Hes trying to influence the ref and Joe has said Galway need to do the same! Don't see the issue there.

As for the penalty im sure there were a number of other Kk players other than JJ muttering, or even saying something out loud when Henry put it over the bar, thats team sport for you. However none of them stepped forwrard to take it if they were so confident in their own ability (of course Henry probably wouldnt have let anybody else get the ball!)

Much ado about nothing mehinks.

[RandyDupree]

Watch King Henry when the opposition are taking the puck outs. His arms are upright in the air and his head is swiveling around his neck at 90mph, and he's screaming at someone! 

[Milltown Row2]

I dont think theres much in that interview to get excited about but the press being the press have lapped it up. An u12, never mind Henry Shefflin, should not be running up to refs to give out about frees. Hes trying to influence the ref and Joe has said Galway need to do the same! Don't see the issue there.

As for the penalty im sure there were a number of other Kk players other than JJ muttering, or even saying something out loud when Henry put it over the bar, thats team sport for you. However none of them stepped forwrard to take it if they were so confident in their own ability (of course Henry probably wouldnt have let anybody else get the ball!)

Much ado about nothing mehinks.

I'm surprised he didn't let fly with the 21 yard free 5 minutes before the penalty, Joe Canning would have went for both if given the chance.