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king of the west

Henry Shefflin confirmed as the new Galway senior hurling manager

The Kilkenny legend is to succeed Shane O’Neill.

LAST UPDATE | Oct 20th 2021, 7:38 PM

HENRY SHEFFLIN HAS been confirmed as the new Galway senior hurling manager.

henry-shefflin Henry Shefflin. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO

The Kilkenny legend is to take his first role as an inter-county senior boss by taking the reins as the Galway county board confirmed the news this evening.

In a surprise move, Shefflin will fill the Galway hotseat that has been vacant since Shane O’Neill departed in early September.

Fellow Kilkenny native Richie O’Neill will join him as coach and the rest of his management team will be finalised in the coming weeks.

“Managing the Galway senior hurlers presents a unique opportunity and we relish the exciting challenge ahead as we begin this journey,” Shefflin said in the statement released by Galway GAA.

“We look forward to working with the players, the county board, and the wider Galway GAA community over the coming years.”

Clare All-Ireland winning boss Davy Fitzgerald had been heavily tipped to take the role. Micheál Donoghue, who guided the Tribesmen to the All-Ireland title in 2017, had been previously been linked as a contender, along with recent successful Galway underage managers Brian Hanley and Jeffrey Lynskey.

But Galway have turned to Shefflin in a dramatic development.

Tonight’s county board statement thanked ‘everyone that participated in, and facilitated the selection process, including the candidates that put themselves forward as well as the interview panel for their diligence, commitment, and professionalism over the past few weeks.’

Attacking great Shefflin has enjoyed major success as a manager at club level with his native Ballyhale Shamrocks, guiding them to two Kilkenny, two Leinster and two All-Ireland crowns, in a spell between 2017 and 2019.

henry-shefflin-celebrates-with-the-liam-maccarthy-cup Henry Shefflin celebrates Kilkenny's 2014 All-Ireland final win. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO

He is currently at the helm of Kilkenny club Thomastown, who contest a county intermediate hurling semi-final on the weekend of 30-31 October.

Shefflin enjoyed a glittering playing career, retiring in March 2015 after winning ten All-Ireland senior medals with Kilkenny and picking up 11 All-Star awards.

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