By Michael Devlin

Evan Shefflin is a young hurler in very capable hands.

Still just 19, he plies his trade under two of the greatest ever to play the game; DJ Carey for Kilkenny U20s, and his uncle, Henry Shefflin for Ballyhale Shamrocks.

Add to that hurling for the club alongside TJ Reid and Colin and Michael Fennelly, and his involvement with Kilkenny seniors under the watchful eye of one Brian Cody, and it’s fair to say young Shefflin is learning from the very best.

The various management styles of DJ and ‘King Henry’ are comparable and contrasting. Carey is more prone to observing from a distance, while Shefflin takes a more hands-on approach to coaching. Both men however share the ability to demand full attention of their players, simply by the power of their considerable legacies in the game.

“DJ is a very quiet man in general. He’s very insightful, a very intelligent man. If he talks you listen, and whatever he has to say to you, you take it on board as much as possible. It’s DJ Carey, he knows what he’s talking about.”

“He’s very watchful and just takes it all in. Obviously he’ll intervene if he has to, if it’s not good enough or whatever, but he just lets us hurl away. I think you kind of need that sometimes, just let lads go at each other for a while.

“They’re very similar, they have a good hurling brain, the two of them, so it’s the same with Henry, when he talks, you listen and you take it on board. Henry tries to be hands-on, and obviously DJ does as well, but there’s only a certain amount a manager can do on his own.

“There’s a lot of work put into it, I know myself, my father has managed teams before, and there’s a lot of work that goes into it. The manager having to train lads, and having all the physio work and all the strength and conditioning work, there’s a lot in it. I think taking a step back is probably the right thing to do at times, and then if he has to jump in, he will. I think that’s a good thing as well.”

Team captain Shefflin is one of four of Ballyhale’s All-Ireland senior club winning team from last season on the Kilkenny U20 panel, alongside goalkeeper Dean Mason, corner-forward Eoin Cody and current Cats senior star Adrian Mullen.

Shefflin knows more than most the talent of Mullen, having played alongside for club and county up through underage, as well as being pitted against him on the training field more often than not. He’s not surprised his Shamrocks’ club-mate has made such a telling breakthrough into Brian Cody’s senior setup, evidenced by his key goal against Wexford in the Leinster group stage last month.

“That was always the way he was, always looking ahead. Whether it was playing U14, he’d have an eye on U16. I don’t know what he’s going to do when he eventually gets to fully senior level. He’s a fantastic talent, I unfortunately have to mark him a lot, which brings me on at the same time.

“He’s a very confident hurler. I think even the goal he got was fantastic, the touch as super. He’s a brilliant hurler with a great hurling brain, and whether he hurls well or not, he works hard. But when he does hurl well, it really clicks for him and he can put performances like that under his belt. He’ll be around for a long time to come.”

Kilkenny are going to the Leinster U20 final this evening against a Wexford side out to complete the provincial treble, having won both the minor and senior crowns both at the expense of the Cats.

The mood around the Model County has seldom been as excitable, and with tomorrow evening’s decider in Wexford Park, Shefflin is expecting “a massive battle” down in the south west.

“I think they are expecting maybe ten or 12,000 down there. We know what they’re going to bring, so we have to prepare for that. If not, they are going to blow us out of the water. We’re ready to go, so hopefully we will give it everything we have and we’ll see what happens.

“I haven’t seen much of Wexford. We’re just kind of focusing on the challenges that are put in front of us. I know they are a very good team and they will bring a similar game to what the seniors bring, and we’re going to have to be ready for that.”

That said, Killkenny are in particularly enthusiastic form themselves following the seniors’ scintillating victory over Cork on Sunday. It sets up an All-Ireland semi-final meeting with reigning champions Limerick in just under two weeks’ time, and Shefflin is hoping the U20s can benefit off the buzz tomorrow.

“Probably a lot of people outside the county were doubting Kilkenny. It’s probably a good thing to go in under the radar as underdogs, and just went about their business in typical Kilkenny fashion. There is a bit of buzz now leading up to the game on Wednesday and of course the match against Limerick, so yeah, it’s all go around Kilkenny.”