'A pretty face on a pitbull' - Seán Óg Ó hAilpín reveals Kilkenny player was toughest he ever faced
Corkman on Cats' dominance of the era: 'They would f***in eat you without salt'
Cork former hurling great Seán Óg Ó hAilpín didn't mince words when describing the toughest opponent he ever faced on the pitch.
Speaking on Off the Ball's The Hurling Pod Live (alongside Kilkenny People contributor Paul Murphy), Seán Óg briefly said for many years, it might have been DJ Carey, but when it came down to it, the honour went to none other than Henry Shefflin.
"Henry Shefflin was a pretty face on a pitbull," he said, prompting laughs from the audience. The teak-tough Corkman described Henry as 'vicious, and an unbelievable competitor'. He had nothing but the height of praise for the former Kilkenny sharpshooter, with whom he had many great tussles over the years.
Seán Óg praised the longevity of his career and his big match temperament, before acknowleding the effect of Kilkenny's dominance in that era.
"When it was a rivalry for about two years between us and Kilkenny - because after that it didn't become a rivalry, they just hammered us out of sight - I'd honestly say it's because the likes of the Kilkenny players and Henry Shefflin that made you go back that winter to train harder, be better," he said.
"You had just tunnel vision, fixated. Because if you didn't they would f***in eat you without salt."