GALWAY’S LAST OUTING was overshadowed by the tragic death of Paul Shefflin, younger brother of Galway manager Henry.
Paul Shefflin was a central figure in Ballyhale Shamrock’s hurling dominance, starting in the club’s 2007 and 2010 All-Ireland final wins. He collapsed and died while out running earlier this month.
In the aftermath, Galway travelled to Páirc Uí Chaoimh without their manager as coach and selector Richie O’Neill took charge. For Conor Whelan and his team-mates, the tragedy put hurling into perspective.
“I suppose we put so much time into hurling sometimes we can lose perspective of the most important things in life. It was an awful tragedy. A tragic story,” said Whelan.
“It really hits home for players the reality that there are a lot more pressing matters out there in the world. We’ve wars and tragedy. That is why it is very important that we enjoy playing hurling, getting back and having fans at games.
“Yeah, an immensely tragic time. It is just one of those things where it is very hard to have the words to put it into perspective.”
Galway lost out on a 1-26 to 0-23 scoreline on the day. Whelan openly acknowledges they met an opponent further down the line than they currently are. Cork were All-Ireland contenders last year. Galway are in the process of transitioning.
Helping them do so is an accomplished list of coaches. As well as former Kilkenny hurler O’Neill, Kevin Lally, who managed St Thomas’ to three Galway SHC titles from 2018-20, joined the ticket. David Morris and Damien Joyce are also on board. The pair worked with Galway previously under Micheal Donoghue.
Yet with eight years of intercounty experience now under his belt, Whelan knows better than to look to the sideline for direction. For this crop to succeed, it is the players who need to drive it.
“It is nice to have someone like Henry and lots of familiar faces.
“I think a lot of the focus has to be on us as players, improving and driving standards ourselves. That is not down to the management team or the lads carrying the hurls. That is down to us as players.
“That is very much our focus and responsibility. To answer your question, it is great to have experienced heads around the place. But it is very much down to us as players.”
