Cyril Farrell: Galway's support has fallen away and we can't hide it
The legendary All-Ireland winning manager says county chiefs have to get on with appointing Henry Shefflin's successor, with the timeframe for an announcement becoming clearer.
Cyril Farrell says support fell away for the Galway hurling side this year - and the next manager’s first job is to breathe “new life” into the team.
2017 All-Ireland winning boss Michéal Donoghue is the favourite to make a return to the hotseat, with an appointment possible as early as next Monday.
Donoghue recently left the Dublin post after two years and is believed to be in pole position to replace Kilkenny legend Henry Shefflin, who left after three years in charge of Galway.
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Galway had a poor 2024 season, failing to get out of the Leinster Championship after losing to Dublin at Pearse Stadium in the final round.
Farrell has already indicated his belief that Donoghue has the job and on Galway Bay FMs ‘Hurling Chat’ podcast he urged county chiefs to get on with appointing the new man.
“We are going into the third round (of the Galway club championship),” said Farrell. “To be fair to the manger and to be fair to Galway supporters they need to know at this stage.
“We’ve been at all the matches more or less last year. We’ve seen it. The support has fallen off. We can’t hide it. There’s no point saying it hasn’t. It has and we need to kickstart and put new life into the team.
“Whoever is over them, we are thinking it will be Michéal, we have to back them completely and get back on track again. No more than the club championships now - be hurling for the summer. Would you say to me that we are not good enough to qualify out of Leinster, with three to qualify out of five?
“We need to get back. I’d love whoever it is, if they are in tomorrow, let them bang away at whatever they are going to do and back them completely, because I am telling you - we have been at a lot of the matches - there is plenty of talent in Galway.
“It’s only a matter of organising them, getting them focused and getting them playing hurling the way they can.
“If you went to Limerick club matches, or Clare, who are All-Ireland champions, you’d be saying to yourself, ‘There is no gap in the clubs.’ I can tell you that.”
Farrell believes the it won’t take much to spark Galway hurling into life. He continued: “I think it’s there. I know everyone is saying we are down and out but we are not. I wouldn’t be a bit afraid. Things can change overnight.
“Other years we got hammered in quarter-finals and came back the following year and played in All-Ireland finals.
“Don’t ask me how. But these things can happen. With the pool of players we have in Galway - even going down to the junior clubs, there’s a player in every team
“It should be everyone’s ambition playing club that they want to play county - if you have that ambition.
“A big thing I would ask as well if I was going over the team, I’d interview each lad and say it - they have to ask the fellas have they the time.
“There’s no point skipping over it. Have they got the time to give the commitment and if they haven’t got the time through no fault of their own you’d be as well as saying, ‘Okay, fair enough,’ because it takes time.
“The management have to put in the time, but the players have to put in a lot of time too. If they are not on the grass, they are in the gym. That all takes time.
“To be fair to lads they all give that commitment. There is no one carrying extra weight now. They are all in great shape. The time is the big thing. Even for the management it is.”
Farrell says age shouldn’t come into it either: “If a guy is good enough at 19 or 20, or 35 or 36, he is good enough.
“He mightn’t leave there at the same time, but he’ll get there. You look at international rugby and see prop forwards going for 85 minutes. They are big. They are over 30 and they are able to play World Cup rugby.
“We retire lads if they get near 30. If they are good enough, they are good enough.”
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