New Galway manager Hayes expected to be a unifying force

WHILE the appointment of Conor Hayes as the new Galway senior hurling manager over the claims of incumbent Noel Lane will have come as a surprise to many outside the county, according to long-serving hurling secretary Phelim Murphy, it had been well flagged locally.

"There isn't a lot of surprise here, he was spoken of as favourite for the last week, it was felt he'd get it. I'm happy with it, he's a fine fella, and hopefully he'll do well."

One of the principal reasons Hayes got the nod was that in a county riven by dissent over the years, its championship preparations always taking place to a background of different voices from different camps, the former double All-Ireland-winning captain is seen as a facilitator, a unifying force.