J. J. Delaney

James John Delaney (born 6 March 1982) is an Irish hurler who played as a left wing-back and full-back at senior level for the Kilkenny county team.

Born in Waterford in 1982, Delaney is a native of Johnstown, County Kilkenny. Delaney first played competitive hurling during his schooling at Coláiste Mhuire. He arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of seventeen when he first linked up with the Kilkenny minor team, before later joining the under-21 side. He made his senior debut during the 2001 championship. Delaney immediately became a regular member of the starting fifteen, and won nine All-Ireland medals, eleven Leinster medals and eight National League medals on the field of play. He was an All-Ireland runner-up on two occasions.

As a member of the Leinster inter-provincial team on a number of occasions, Delaney won two Railway Cup medals. At club level Delaney continues to play with Fenians.

Delaney's uncles, Billy Fitzpatrick and Pat Delaney, won nine All-Ireland medals between them between 1969 and 1983, while his father, Shem Delaney, shared in one of these All-Ireland successes as a non-playing substitute. His first cousin, P. J. Delaney, won an All-Ireland medal in 1993.

Throughout his career Delaney made 66 championship appearances, setting him out as the third most "capped" player of all-time. He announced his retirement from inter-county hurling on 5 December 2014.

A 2014 article in the Irish Times describe Delaney as "one of the best fullbacks the game has seen". In 2003 he won the first of six All-Star awards, while he also made a clean sweep of all the top individual awards, winning the All-Star, Texaco and GPA Hurler of the Year awards. Delaney was also chosen as one of the 125 greatest hurlers of all-time in a 2009 poll. That same year he was chosen on the Leinster team of the past twenty-five years.