Davy Fitzgerald 'turned down Galway job' but leaves door open to county management return
“Let’s just say it was pretty nailed on and I pulled at the last second because the time I had in Wexford, it was unreal."
Davy Fitzgerald has revealed how he pledged to take charge of Galway in 2019 before staying on with Wexford. And, having been in the running for the job again two years later only to lose out to Henry Shefflin, he hasn’t ruled out taking over from the Kilkenny man this time following his decision to step down earlier this month.
Fitzgerald recently quit Waterford after two years and said “never say never” when asked on the BBC’s GAA Social podcast if he would be on for a return to inter-county management. “It could happen soon, it might happen later but I’ve a feeling the chapter is definitely not over anyway, club or county, something will happen at some stage and whenever it’s right, it’s right,” he said.
When asked about the Galway vacancy, Fitzgerald said he hadn’t had an official approach but outlined how close he was to taking the job five years ago. “Let’s just say it was pretty nailed on and I pulled at the last second because the time I had in Wexford, it was unreal.
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“Talk about loyalty to you, the players were incredibly loyal. I mean incredibly loyal and I’d say a few of them got word, I had my mind made up I was gone.
“One of the best chairmen ever, Derek Kent, after the game against Tipp in ‘19 I told him, ‘Listen I can’t do this, I’m just wrecked, I’m going’ and he said, ‘Davy, take six weeks, take six weeks, don’t say nothing, just take six weeks’.
“Derek was a devil, he’d always find some way of doing something and I said, ‘Ok’ and after about four or five (weeks) I was approached by someone, spent a good bit of time with them and that was would I do Galway and eventually after a few weeks, Sharon (his wife) will tell you now, I was hemming and hawing.
“The Wexford lads, I didn’t want to leave them down so I rang and I told that person, ‘I’ll do it’.
“That was on a Saturday, they were meant to announce it on a Thursday, the following Thursday, and on the Wednesday I got a few calls from two (Wexford) players and what they said to emotionally, (it) blackmailed me emotionally on the phone.
“I remember going back into Sharon and (saying), ‘I can’t leave them down, I can’t leave them down’ so I changed my mind.”
Fitzgerald then said how he felt he was on the brink of getting the Galway job when he finally left Wexford in 2021.
“It was right there and I said to them, ‘I understand what I did the last time, don’t talk to me unless you’re doing it. If you want to get someone else go and do it’ and I was led to believe it was here and then a few hours before Henry was unveiled they told me that they had a change of mind so probably payback for the last time.
“We’re level on it! Do I hold a grudge? Not at all, no. I don’t whatsoever.”
Fitzgerald has been linked with the Galway job since he became a free agent and Shefflin departed and said that “they definitely should be challenging way more than what they are”.
“I feel there’s even more younger talent there, I feel a mix of young and old right now would be really good for them. I think they could do it but like, everything has to align.
“You need county board, you need players, you need everyone on the same wavelength and people are funny how they think. I honestly can tell you genuinely I don’t know.
“I’ve had one or two fellas I’m in business with and I’m friendly with up there saying, ‘Listen, we’ll get onto the Galway county board, we’ll say it to them, x, y and z’ and you get that but that’s the only calls I’ve had.
The Clare native said he’d “definitely listen” if he received an approach from Galway and added: “The way I feel right now, I think you can tell off me, the vibe is still there and if some project comes that I really want to do, I’ll do it.”
Meanwhile, Fitzgerald has back his fellow countymen to see off Cork in Sunday’s All-Ireland final.
“Clare are going to win the All-Ireland. Because, one, the last two times they’ve met in Championship Clare have beaten them, they don’t have a fear of Cork.
“I believe that there is a massive performance in this team. I’ve seen patches of it this year, I just haven’t seen it for 70 minutes consistently. The second half against Kilkenny, pretty decent, first half not good enough.
“They know that themselves, they know they haven’t hit it for 70 minutes.i think Tony [Kelly] had a terrible injury earlier on in the year and I think he’s been slow getting back.
“I can see signs of him getting there. To me, Tony Kelly’s incredible and I just think he’s coming back to his best and I think playing Cork will suit him as well.
“It’ll be free-flowing enough and that suits Clare. It does suit Cork as well. There’s going to be a lot of scores in this game. Both defences are coughing up a lot. They’re there and rightly so but I expect this to be a high scoring game.”
You can listen to the podcast in full here.
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