It's safe to say it's been a disappointing year for Galway's hurlers, with the Tribesmen exiting the Championship after the first phase.
Things appeared to be off to a good start initially, with Henry Shefflin's side claiming a win against Carlow. There was a fortunate draw against Shefflin's native Kilkenny - who were down a number of key players - and things began to quickly unravel thereafter.
Defeat to Wexford was followed by victory against Antrim, which set up a final-day showdown against Dublin.
Though there was controversy, Dublin were still ultimately deserved winners, and Galway exited the championship at the first port of call for the first time since 2019.
There will surely now be questions asked of manager Henry Shefflin - though former Galway minor and U20 manager Jeffrey Lynskey believes the problems run deeper in the county's hurling structures.
Speaking to the Maroon and White podcast after Galway were eliminated from the Leinster championship, Lynskey said that he felt the people in charge of making crucial decisions behind the scenes were not the right ones - and pointed to the presence of Eddie O'Sullivan in the interview process ahead of Shefflin's appointment as a prime example.
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"Eddie O'Sullivan doesn't have a clue about hurling"
Lynskey spent several years as manager of Galway's minor team, winning three All-Irelands in the 2010s before moving to the U20 side - where he again reached an All-Ireland final in 2021.
He was in the mix for the Galway senior job around the time of Henry Shefflin's appointment, with former Ireland head-coach Eddie O'Sullivan part of the interview panel.
Lynskey believes that the presence of O'Sullivan in such an environment epitomises the fact that Galway have the wrong people working on hurling in the county.
If we are playing politics with this position and it is about clicks on social media, we are in trouble. It can't be about that.
If we really care about it, we will put the right people in charge, that is going to steady the ship and develop those young fellas.
I did the last interview and you'd Eddie O'Sullivan inside in it. You'd county officers inside in it. That was my third interview with them. They will decide who they want at the end of the day.
I would shake it up in terms of bringing a better calibre of person into the interview process, make sure it guides them as well.
It is nothing against Eddie - but Eddie doesn't have a clue about hurling. Not a clue. He doesn't understand the workings of Galway hurling. I would go after somebody who understands us as a county, club hurling, what it means to wear a Galway jersey.
Lynskey would go on to say that he firmly believes the tide can be turned relatively quickly with the right management. He even suggested that Dublin had edged Galway out because "they had two Galway managements in charge over the past six years. These are lads who should be working inside our own county."
It will certainly be a summer of reflection for Galway, after a bitterly disappointing underperformance in the Leinster hurling championship.
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