It has taken less than 24 hours for the hurling managerial dominoes to start falling with two of hurling’s most prominent figures, Henry Shefflin and Davy Fitzgerald, both stepping down from their respective roles with Galway and Waterford.
On the back of Fitzgerald’s largely unexpected departure from Waterford on Tuesday night, Galway confirmed the somewhat less surprising news on Wednesday afternoon that Shefflin would not be staying at the helm out west.
They are unlikely to be the only two shaking the managerial tree ahead of next season, and the vacancies they leave behind could have knock-on impacts in other counties too.
After an off-season of widespread stability ahead of the 2024 campaign, the hurling managerial merry-go-round is already busier this term.
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Keith Rossiter in Wexford was the only newcomer to the managerial ranks of a Liam MacCarthy Cup team in 2024. Indeed, he was the only rookie manager for any team in hurling’s top two tiers – the MacCarthy and Joe McDonagh Cup.
Shefflin was appointed Galway senior hurling manager on a three-year term in October 2021, and a later extension was expected to take the Kilkenny great to the end of the 2025 season.
However, after a disappointing year in which Galway failed to advance beyond the group stages of the Leinster SHC, Shefflin has decided to step away.
In both 2022 and 2023, Shefflin led Galway to All-Ireland semi-final appearances where they lost to Limerick. But not getting out of the provincial group stages this term – plus the failure to land even one Leinster title over the three years – had increased scrutiny on the Ballyhale native’s position.
Galway GAA chairman Paul Bellew stated: “On behalf of Galway GAA, I want to place on record our sincere thanks to Henry for the leadership, energy and commitment he has given Galway hurling over the past three seasons.
“Henry has driven the highest standards possible during his tenure and left a lasting positive impact on our playing group and on Galway hurling. His mentality and will to win remains unmatched and the group will reap the benefits of this.”
Fitzgerald had been linked with the Galway role before Shefflin was appointed in late 2021, and his departure from Waterford has added a dollop of intrigue. However, it is believed Galway might be leaning towards appointing locally on this occasion after two outside managers in Shefflin and Limerick’s Shane O’Neill.
Micheál Donoghue, who has been in charge of Dublin since August 2022, was Galway’s last home-grown manager and was at the helm when they won the All-Ireland in 2017.
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