GAELIC GAMES:Henry Shefflin took a calculated gamble by togging out in last September's All-Ireland final but has no regrets, writes JOHN O'SULLIVAN

THE COBWEBS of inactivity have been dusted down in recent weeks, first when coming on as a second-half substitute in a club match and then on Sunday providing an eight-point cameo when donning the Kilkenny jersey in a challenge game against Waterford.

The rehabilitation process following cruciate knee ligament surgery is mentally and physically demanding, a state of affairs that Henry Shefflin knows all too well as he’s on his second pilgrimage to reclaiming full fitness from a similar setback.

He tore the cruciate in his right knee in the 2007 All-Ireland hurling final and in last year’s semi-final against Cork suffered a similar injury, this time to his left knee. Remarkably he managed a 12-minute vignette in the final against Tipperary before the joint buckled irrevocably.

Knowing the route to recovery doesn’t necessarily make the journey any more palatable, at least initially but there is some succour when familiar signposts hove into view.

Henry Shefflin carried no mental baggage as he prepared for the rehabilitative route march; there was no recrimination, accepting that he took a calculated gamble by togging out in the final last September.

“I couldn’t have any regrets. Obviously it was disappointing the way it worked out but when I had an opportunity maybe of taking part; once I got the negative thoughts out of my head for a day or two that the cruciate was gone, I just had to think positively. I never for once thought that my cruciate was going to go.

“Obviously I was worried about it and that but it would have been worse if I had sat on the bench thinking ‘maybe I could be on, maybe I couldn’t be on’. If I had come on as a sub I could have been off after two minutes and we would have lost a sub as well. I had done the training and everything like that, so to be fair I wouldn’t, no (have any regrets).”

The lengthening of the days, the warmth in the air and a slight shift in emphasis in the solicitous inquiries he’d receive on the streets, as much as medical advice, outlined the extent of the road travelled. It was time to take to the pitch once again.

Shefflin admits: “To be fair everyone means well. For five or six months they ask you how the knee is but when you get to this stage, they ask you when are you going to be right. Back in the club there I got bit of a clap when I went on the field and that gives you a boost.”

Two weeks ago he felt he could operate at about 75 to 80 per cent. The weekend challenge match will have nudged that figure upwards while lining out for Ballyhale Shamrocks against Fenians in a club match tomorrow night will maintain the upward spiral. But previous experience has taught Shefflin to be patient, to listen to his body and not take anything for granted. If he required a practical example it came in the shape of a young club-mate who, in returning from a similar injury, suffered a relapse and recently underwent surgery for a second time.

“The surgeon said to me that having been out for six or seven months you’re not going to come back perfect. It’ll take time and I don’t know what’s down the line. Each session will improve me. It’s about game time as well.

“You can train and run as much as you want to but it’s about getting the knocks and the intensity of matches that you won’t be used to. (In 2007) it took me until mid summer. There were a couple of matches in Leinster in which I struggled; I did alright but wasn’t happy. It was later in the summer that I felt good, probably the following year when I felt really good (but) no two injuries are the same.”

Shefflin’s progress is viewed through the prism of June 11th, when Kilkenny make their bow in this year’s Leinster championship. At least that seems to be the case for others.

The 32-year-old understands the folly of assumption as far as injury is concerned, has the maturity to focus on presenting himself in the best possible condition and let Cats boss Brian Cody decide what that merits from a selection perspective.

Shefflin watched from the stands as Dublin beat Kilkenny in the National League final at Croke Park, inured from disappointment or frustration by the realisation that he was never going to play any part in the campaign. “I was just here to watch the game itself. Look, you’d like to be playing but once your mind is set that you’re not going to be playing it is not as bad. You get used to it at this stage.”

He felt for his team-mates: “The reaction (to the defeat) was kind of negative but Kilkenny didn’t play well on the day. It is one bad day; I think people maybe jump on the bandwagon a small bit. Kilkenny didn’t perform but I don’t think that should come into it. I think it should be more about how Dublin performed, because they were absolutely flying it.

“Kilkenny will go out and play most days, but if you are not let play well it is because of the opposition. In fairness to Dublin I think they hurled brilliantly. Our lads would have been disappointed with the performance but it is one bad day: lucky enough the championship is coming and hopefully we can turn that around.

“All you have to do is look at Tipperary last year. Obviously we are down a few levels from where we would probably like to be; we’d love to be league champions. But look, every team starts off the championship on a level footing and the great thing about the championship, Tipp showed it last year, as the year goes on you (can) get better and better.”

Last year’s disappointment has been shelved. If anything it will make Kilkenny more determined. Players are returning to the fold from injury every week; with each new arrival comes fresh impetus. If others are prepared to question whether the county can recapture their pre-eminence, Shefflin is not among them.

“Mentally there might be a small bit of baggage with the five-in-a-row but we would say no. It is the small bits and pieces that can change things. Maybe it’ll be a good thing that we are languishing in the long grass a small bit. People have a lot of question marks and that may be a good thing but I don’t think so.”

The rehabilitative process has taught him the importance of small measured steps, a metaphor for the journey that awaits Kilkenny.