Shefflin future could be made clearer by early next week

ANOTHER YEAR? Galway manager Henry Shefflin during the Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Championship match between Galway and Dublin. Pic: John Sheridan, Sportsfile

The future of Henry Shefflin as Galway senior hurling manager could be made clearer by the start of next week.

There have been conflicting claims from inside the county about the Kilkenny legend remaining at the helm for a fourth season in 2025.

Board sources maintain Shefflin has made no decision about staying on, but there is growing speculation last month’s Leinster SHC final round defeat to Dublin in Salthill was his last game in charge.

Shefflin was appointed in October 2021 for three years and the term was extended by a season last August into 2025.

In his first two seasons, the 10-time All-Ireland SHC-winning forward guided Galway to Leinster finals and All-Ireland semi-finals where they were beaten by Kilkenny and Limerick respectively.

However, largely on the back of defeats to Wexford and Dublin, Galway failed to emerge from the Leinster SHC this year and for the third season in succession the senior team failed to win silverware.

Speaking recently, Galway chairman Paul Bellew maintained the future was still bright for the senior side. 

“We had a bad campaign. We lost a game to Dublin at the end which wasn’t a game in the sense that at the end of injury time we'd played 62 minutes with 14 men,” he told The Maroon & White Pod, referring to David Burke’s sending off.

“We were without four lads in their 20s in Darren Morrissey, Cathal Mannion, Kevin Cooney and Brian Concannon. These are serious players, we have serious talent coming and they are still serious players around in Galway.” 

Meanwhile, only terrace tickets are currently available on general sale for Saturday’s All-Ireland SHC quarter-final double-header in FBD Semple Stadium. 

As they did for the 2022 games in Thurles when 34,640 were in attendance for Cork-Galway and Clare-Wexford, Cork will be expected to bring the largest crowd from the four participating counties.

Elsewhere, confirmed All-Ireland senior football quarter-finalists are having to book hotels for two nights in the Dublin region for the weekend after next as they don’t yet know which day their game will fall on. 

Of the four already through to the quarters, Donegal and Kerry have the longest journeys to make.

The staging of Féile Peil in Connacht on Saturday week may be a contributory factor to a team or teams from the province playing their All-Ireland SFC quarter-final the day after should they qualify. Galway, Mayo and Roscommon can all make the last-eight.