Henry Shefflin to leave role as Galway hurling manager

“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.

Henry has been outstanding to deal with over the last three years and this is reflected in the esteem he is held in by our players, supporters and all involved in Galway GAA.

"We also want to thank and acknowledge the massive contribution of Richie O’Neill, Damien Joyce, Kevin Lally and Eamon O’Shea and the wider background team for their efforts during Henry’s term.” In his first two seasons, the 10-time All-Ireland SHC-winning forward guided them to Leinster finals and All-Ireland semi-finals.

The 2022 Leinster decider ended in a five-point loss against his native county. Handshake tension between then Kilkenny boss Brian Cody and his former player overshadowed both games that year. Galway went on to reach the final four where they were downed by Limerick.

In 2023, Galway once again reached the Leinster final. Cillian Buckley's goal in the sixth minute of injury-time saw Kilkenny secure a dramatic win. Galway recovered to beat Tipperary in the quarter-final only to lose to Limerick again, 1-18 to 2-24.

Shefflin added highly-respected coach Eamon O’Shea to his coaching ticket for the 2024 campaign, but it ended in significant disappointment as they failed to advance from the Leinster championship after suffering defeats against Wexford and Dublin as well as drawing with Kilkenny.

In the wake of the six-point defeat against Dublin in Pearse Stadium, Shefflin confirmed he would reassess his future.

The Irish Examiner understands an internal appointment is expected with Galway to begin the hunt immediately for a new manager.