Henry Shefflin steps down as Galway hurling manager

Shefflin resigned on Wednesday

Shefflin steps down after three years in charge following a disappointing campaign for the Tribesmen as they failed to progress past the Leinster Championship.

A statement from Galway GAA Chairperson Paul Bellew said: "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."

Third season syndrome

The Kilkenny legend was largely successful in his three-year period, taking them to Leinster finals and All-Ireland semi-finals.

In the first of those he was beaten his native county in a five-point defeat before running All-Ireland champions Limerick close in the semi-finals at Croke Park 1-18 to 2-24.

2023 then saw them reach the Leinster final once again but a year on was a dramatic change.

Despite adding highly-respected coach Eamon O’Shea to his ranks the Tribesmen failed to advance from the Leinster championship after suffering defeats against Wexford and Dublin as well as drawing with Kilkenny.

Shefflin did hint he would make a decision on his future after the Dublin defeat at the Pearse Stadium and now that his fate has been sealed attention will now turn to finding a replacement.