J. J. Delaney
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| J.J. Delaney | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sport | Hurling | |
| Full name | J.J. Delaney | |
| Date of birth | March 6, 1982 | |
| Place of birth | Johnstown , County Kilkenny | |
| Club information | ||
| Club | Fenians | |
| Position | Half-back | |
| Inter-County | ||
| County | Kilkenny | |
| Position | Half-back | |
| Inter-County(ies)** | ||
| County | Years | Apps (scores) |
| Kilkenny | 2001- | |
| Senior Inter-County Titles | ||
| Leinster Titles | 7 | |
| All-Ireland | 4 (1 as sub) | |
|
* club appearances and scores |
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J.J. Delaney (born 6 March 1982 in Johnstown, County Kilkenny) is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Fenians and with the Kilkenny senior inter-county team.
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[edit] Early & private life
J.J. Delaney was born in Johnstown, County Kilkenny in 1982. He was born into a family that had a strong association with the game of hurling. His father, Shem Delaney, is a former inter-county hurler with Kilkenny. Two of Delaney’s uncles, Billy Fitzpatrick and Pat Delaney, also lined out with Kilkenny in the 1970s. Delaney was educated locally and he works as a salesman with Tegral.
[edit] Playing career
[edit] Club
Delaney plays his club hurling with the famous Fenians club. He has enjoyed some success with the club, however, he has yet to win a senior county title.
[edit] Inter-county
Delaney first came to prominence on the inter-county scene in 2001. That year he made his senior debut, while still remaining in the under-21 grade. As a member of the under-21 team Delaney won a Leinster title in 2003. He later collected an All-Ireland medal in this grade after Kilkenny defeated Galway in the final.
By this stage Delaney had already made his mark on the Kilkenny senior team. He won his first senior Leinster title in 2001, however, Kilkenny were surprisingly beaten by Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final. In 2002 Delaney captured a second consecutive Leinster title. He later lined out in his first senior All-Ireland final with Clare providing the opposition. Kilkenny won the game easily on a score line of 2-20 to 0-19 giving Delaney his first senior All-Ireland medal. In 2003 he won a third successive Leinster title before lining out in a second championship decider. Cork were the opponents on that occasion, however, Kilkenny won an exciting game giving Delaney a second All-Ireland title. He finished off the year by winning his first All-Star award as well as making a clean sweep of all the hurler of the year awards. In 2004 Kilkenny made an all out bid to capture a third championship title in-a-row, however, things got off to a bad start when Kilkenny lost their provincial crown to Wexford. In spite of this ‘the Cats’ later qualified for the All-Ireland final, however, Cork gained revenge for the previous year’s defeat by beating Kilkenny. In spite of this defeat Delaney was still presented with a second All-Star award. In 2005 Kilkenny regained their Leinster title with Delaney collecting his fourth winners’ medal. While all the pundits predicted a third All-Ireland final meeting for Cork and Kilkenny, ‘the Cats’ were defeated by Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final. In 2006 Kilkenny set out to prove that they weren’t a spent force in hurling. The team began the year by winning the National Hurling League. It was Delaney’s fourth time picking up a winner’s medal in this competition, with previous wins coming in 2002, 2003 and 2005. He later picked up a fifth Leinster title as Kilkenny swept through the Leinster championship. The subsequent All-Ireland final saw Kilkenny take on Cork in the game that would decide the team of the decade. Cork were playing in their fourth consecutive final and were going for a third title in-a-row while Kilkenny wanted to gain revenge for a defeat in 2004. In the build up to the game Delaney injured his cruciate ligament while training with the inter-county hurlers. It was an injury which forced him to miss the All-Ireland final which Kilkenny went on to win. In spite of missing the game Delany’s prowess earned him a third All-Star award. Initial concerns, however, that he would be absent for most of 2007 proved unfounded, as surgery revealed that 75% of the ligament remained undamaged and in tact. He returned to full training early in January and made his return to the Kilkenny side during the National League campaign. Later in 2007 Delaney collected his sixth Leinster title as Wexford were trounced in the final. He later won a third All-Ireland medal as Kilkenny defeated surprise finalists Limerick in the championship decider.
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Henry Shefflin (Kilkenny) |
Vodafone Hurler of the Year 2003 |
Succeeded by Seán Óg Ó hAilpín (Cork) |
| Texaco Hurler of the Year 2003 |
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| Gaelic Players' Association Hurler of the Year 2003 |
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[edit] Teams
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