Ballyhale Shamrocks set to nominate Joey Holden as Kilkenny hurling captain

Ballyhale Shamrocks may have wrapped up the perfect season for club and county but there is still one matter to be decided: the Kilkenny hurling captaincy for 2015.

Kilkenny are one of the last counties using the old tradition of allowing the county champions to nominate the captaincy and while Ballyhale would have several candidates from Sunday's Leinster club championship winning side – TJ Reid, Michael or Colin Fennelly, or perhaps even Henry Shefflin – the honour is set to go to defender Joey Holden.

Because Ballyhale, while respecting the tradition of naming the captaincy, also believe it should be rotated wherever possible between their club players: both the Fennelly brothers have held the captaincy before (Colin in 2013, Michael in 2009), Reid was captain in 2010, while Shefflin also won the 2007 All-Ireland as Kilkenny captain.

That leaves Holden as the only other current member of the Kilkenny panel who hasn't yet been dominated by Ballyhale. The 24 year-old is almost certain to feature next season, especially after the recent retirements of JJ Delaney, Brian Hogan and Tommy Walsh, as he's capable of holding down several defensive positions.