Sheff pins his hopes on Eamon
Galway Laois
6-29 2-20
HENRY SHEFFLIN hopes former Tipperary manager Eamon O’shea will prove to be the missing ingredient as he bids for glory in his third year in charge of Galway.
O’shea, who has lived in Salthill for the past couple of decades, has joined the Galway management and Shefflin is delighted to have such an experienced figure on board.
“We know the last couple of years weren’t good enough,” said Shefflin. “We are trying to get better both as management and players. He has a wealth of knowledge, experience, he’s a proven winner and he’s just passionate about the game. He loves the game of hurling.
“So I think the enthusiasm and the freshness, he brings a lot of added dimensions to the set-up and we are very happy to have him on board. He also knows the club scene very well in Galway and that’s very important,” added Shefflin.
But whatever about the impact of O’shea, the performances of his son Donal could also be key for Shefflin’s side this year.
The Salthill/ Knocknacarra clubman revelled in a midfield role in this Walsh Cup win at Duggan Park in Ballinasloe and had a big role in several Galway scores as they booked a semi-final meeting with Micheal Donoghue’s Dublin next weekend.
They blityzed Laois in perfect conditions with Portumna’s Declan Mcloughlin shooting a hat-trick on a day when they could have hit double figures were it not for the excellence of Laois keeper Enda Rowland.
SCORERS: GALWAY: J Flynn 1-9 (0-5f), D Mcloughlin 3-0, A Connaire (2-1), E Niland (0-7, 4f, 0-2 ’65), G Lee (0-4), D O’shea (0-3 1f), P Mannion (0-1), J Cooney (0-1), I Mcglynn (0-1), S O’hanlon 0-1, T Monaghan 0-1. LAOIS: S Maher (1-9 7f), A Dunphy (1-4), J Quinlan (0-2), F Fennell (0-1), C Comerford (0-1), D Dooley (0-1), T Keyes (0-1), T Cuddy (0-1).