Henry Shefflin praised the ‘spirit and heart’ shown by his Ballyhale Shamrocks players during the second-half of yesterday’s Kilkenny SHC decider.

In his first year as club manager, ‘King Henry’ had to endure some anxious moments after the resumption in Nowlan Park as Bennettsbridge mounted a comeback but they hung on to claim their 16th title.

“I was feeling pretty good at half-time but not so much in the second-half, obviously,” he told the Irish Independent.

“It was a lot tougher but our lads stood up when they had to. The spirit and heart they showed last Sunday (for the semi-final win over Erin's Own) was there again.

“Bennettsbridge were always going to come back at us and have a good phase. We got a bit nervous and we went back into ourselves for a while. Bennettsbridge took full advantage and they really put it up to us.”

He added: “It has been a steep learning curve. And you'd certainly learn more on a day like this and a game like this.”

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