Retirement Following Shefflin's tenth All-Ireland success, speculation began to grow about his possible retirement. After stating in November 2014 that he intended to make a decision after the conclusion of the All-Ireland series of the club championship, Shefflin called a press conference on 25 March 2015 and announced that he was retiring from inter-county hurling. In a statement he said, "When I reflect back over the past 16 years playing the game that I love, at the highest level with Kilkenny, it is impossible to quantify the endless hours of happiness, satisfaction and fulfilment I have enjoyed." In 2015, Shefflin joined the Sunday Game as an analyst for their coverage of the 2015 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship and he will also feature on RTÉ Radio 1. Inter-provincial Shefflin has also lined out with Leinster in the inter-provincial hurling championship. He first played for his province in 1999, however, he had to wait another few years before success in that competition. In 2002 Leinster faced arch rivals Munster in the decider at Nowlan Park. The game ended in somewhat controversial circumstances when the referee awarded a free when Munster's Peter Queally was deemed to have fouled Jimmy Coogan. Shefflin pointed the free to give Leinster a narrow 4–15 to 3–17 victory. It was Shefflin's first Railway Cup medal. Leinster were back in the decider again in 2003. Rome was the venue with Connacht providing the opposition. Leinster were nine points in arrears early in the second half, however, the team fought back to secure a 4–9 to 2–12 victory. It was Shefflin's second Railway Cup medal. In 2009 Shefflin was back on the Leinster team once again. His kicked goal five minutes after the restart set up a 3–18 to 1–17 defeat of Connacht once again. Recognition Shefflin has come to be regarded as one of the greatest, if not the greatest player of all-time and has received much praise from Irish sportspeople in all fields. Fellow nine-time All-Ireland medallist and former Kilkenny goalkeeper Noel Skehan said of him in the build-up to the 2012 All-Ireland final: "Oh, as it stands, you’re talking about the greatest hurler ever even if he didn’t win on Sunday. He’ll still be the greatest hurler. He’s a fantastic sportsman. What he has achieved up until now, even forgetting the result on Sunday, you’d have to put him well up on top of the ladder. To