'Absolutely not' - Henry Shefflin dismisses links with vacant ...
Henry Shefflin says it was difficult decision to leave his role as Galway senior hurling manager after three seasons.
The Kilkenny great confirmed this week he was stepping down. He led Galway to semi-finals in 2022 and 2023 but 2024 was a disappointing campaign as they failed to progress from the Leinster championship.
“It has been a long and hard difficult five weeks since we lost to Dublin,” said Shefflin, speaking to Galway Bay FM.
“There has been a lot of toing and froing thinking about the decision. I suppose when I went up first in October 2021 I felt myself it was going to be a two- or three-year project. That three-year cycle came to an end. It was something I was going to review very hard. We probably didn’t want the year 2024 to finish as it did.
“The competitor in us all within the management team felt should we go back, should we get back there again. I thought long and hard about it but just felt it was the right thing for Galway going forward to refresh and regenerate and get someone new in there to take on the project.“
He continued: “It was a very hard decision to make truthfully. I am a bit sad because I really enjoyed the time up there.”
Shefflin backed Galway to compete at the top table in 2025.
“It was a very difficult decision because when I went up first, I said this is a talented group of players and I think no differently now. There is definitely that talent, (it) will come to the fore. This year we didn’t see that for various different reasons. But I think next year, would I be surprised to see Galway get back very competitive? Absolutely I wouldn’t.”
Shefflin made the cross-country journey with his coach Richie O’Neill since he was appointed in October 2021.
“The journeys used to fly by. It was a great time for us to catch up. There were some strange ones. I remember leaving the house at four o’clock in the morning to get to early morning training in the gym in Clarinbridge. Some mad stuff now. But it is part of the journey, part of the experience. It was so enjoyable.”
Shefflin’s brother Paul died in 2022. The same year young camogie player Kate Moran died in an accidental collision in a match. Her boyfriend TJ Brennan is a member of the senior squad.
“More than anything else, it is what I said at the beginning, the friendships you make because of it. The support you get because of it. The number of players and Galway GAA people, I’d only started the role, who made the long trip down to Ballyhale and stood outside Paul and Aoife’s house to pay their respects.
“It shows that support. It just shows the type of people that are involved in the GAA, the beauty of it. We all focus on results, sometimes too much, just having that support around you is very important. Look we all know the beauty of family. We obviously then had Kate Moran with TJ Brennan involved a couple of months later. It has been a rollercoaster of emotions.”
The 10-time All-Ireland winner dismissed links with the now-vacant Waterford job. Davy Fitzgerald stepped down after two seasons in charge earlier this week.
“The conspiracy theories are absolutely brilliant. I love the way they just piece this stuff together. It happens so easily. Absolutely not. I wanted to challenge myself and do something different. That is why when Paul (Bellew) and the Galway executive came to me the first time, after speaking to me a few years before that, I felt the challenge was the right thing for me.
“I’m absolutely delighted we took it on. I know it could have went a little better but in the overall context, the experience was very positive. But for now, I felt it was right for myself to get back home and that is where I will be staying. I think the U16 boys and girls in Ballyhale will be getting used to me. That is where I will be.”
