Galway hurling forward Joe Canning is on the brink of dethroning Henry Shefflin and becoming Hurlings all-time scorer.
The forward is on the brink of the all-time scoring record.
Canning (32) is just 14 points shy of Kilkenny legend Henry Shefflin’s championship record.
The Portumna man has scored a grand total of 27-471 (552 points) in 60 championship games for Galway since his debut in 2008.
While Shefflin, who retired in 2015 after making his debut in 1999, is the top-scorer in championship history with 27-484 (565 points) in 71 games.
With Canning still an integral part of the Galway panel, he will inevitably reach Shefflin’s thought to be an out-of-reach record in 11 fewer championship games.
‘I never look at the numbers by my name’ – Joe Canning not concerned about topping Henry Shefflin's scoring record 👇@ConorMcKn https://t.co/ZjTXxbrNAh
— Independent Sport (@IndoSport) June 29, 2021
Canning has been a benchmark in Galway’s forward line since his debut, averaging at least 66 points per season, with his highest-scoring season being the 2017 season. Scoring 102 points in the league and championship.
He has shown a level of consistency in his last three seasons while struggling with injuries and a nasty concussion which saw him stretchered off against Limerick in last years All-Ireland Semi-Final.
Prior to his accidental clash with team-mate Joseph Cooney, he had scored 12 points and was the tribesman biggest threat.
In the same season, he scored an impressive 0-14 in Galway’s Quarter-Final win over Tipperary and again in their 2-point defeat to Kilkenny in the Leinster Hurling Final.
It is only a matter of time before the Galway forward breaks the record, but Canning has played down the hype surrounding his scoring record.
“When you’re a kid, all you’re thinking about is winning All-Irelands. That’s what you’re out in the yard and out in the field practising for,” he insists.
“You’re imagining you’re in an All-Ireland final. Getting the winning score. You’re not thinking, ‘I want to end up as the top scorer.’
“That stuff doesn’t come into it. It’s only when people have started to say it to me the last while that it’s a reality. But still, it’s not a big deal really.”
