'There are some class hurlers in Galway but we need to get them built up a bit more'

Former defender Greg Kennedy says Henry Shefflin's panel is in transition.

Fri, 24 Feb, 2023 - 06:53

John Fogarty

Galway may require another year to reach Limerick’s strength and conditioning levels, says former defender Greg Kennedy.

The Loughrea man feels the team remains in transition as Henry Shefflin bloods in more new players and as a result the team is lacking heft.

For the entirety of John Kiely’s reign, Limerick have looked to Galway, who they face in Salthill in Sunday's Division 1, Group A Round 3 fixture, as their physical peers.

However, former Dublin and Cuala two-time All-Ireland Club SHC-winning selector Kennedy reckons they have fallen behind due to personnel turnover, losing the likes of Joe Canning, Aidan Harte and Johnny Coen to retirement these past couple of seasons.

“They’re in transition still, to be honest,” he says. “Henry has brought in a lot of good young lads. They probably have another year to go from an S&C perspective. It’s in the forwards where a bit of muscle needs to be added and that will take time with some of the players to compare with the likes of Limerick and Kilkenny.

“That’s not easily done and certainly not in a few months. Like, Waterford have big physical men upfront. Joe was a huge loss physically as he was for everything else. There are some class hurlers in Galway but we need to get them built up a bit more to be able to manage the way the game has gone.”

Only beaten by the All-Ireland finalists in last year’s championship, Kennedy anticipates Shefflin will be cuter about how he goes about his business this season. About Galway as much as anything else.

“It takes a year for an outside manager to get a feel for the players, the county board, the atmosphere in the camp. He would have learned a lot and he would be more streetwise this year.

"If he can bring that element from Kilkenny of being able to win your own ball, then Galway will be in with a shout. Once they get all the pieces of the jigsaw back together, they will be a nice outfit.

"Gearóid McInerney has been the elder statesman of the defence in recent games and he has been holding things together. You’d presume Pádraic Mannion will find a bit of form again. The back-line is good but it just need to protect the ‘D’ that bit more.”

McInerney’s solid displays at full-back might stir debate about whether he should remain at the edge of the square and Daithí Burke take his centre-back slot having previously switched positions in 2021. Kennedy still sees captain Burke at full-back and McInerney in front of him.

“I’d always be about getting your best players at three, six, 11 and 14 and build around it. That slightly depends on match-ups but Gearóid is usually comfortable at six and I’d leave Daithí at three, where his record speaks for itself.”

Regarding the news last Saturday that Galway will be part of this year’s Leinster minor hurling championship, Kennedy was delighted to hear about the county’s inclusion. It’s likely to be followed next year by Galway’s senior champions entering the province, which might mean they will have to conclude their championship by mid-October.

“It think it’s a good move for Galway even if it’s a bit late,” says Kennedy of the minors heading east. “It might have been done closer to when the seniors were entering Leinster in the late 2000s.

“Hurling, not just Galway hurling, needs to keep looking for diversity. Sometimes I feel the game of hurling is falling behind other sports, so you need to be bringing a bit of freshness to the structures.”