Former Galway U-21 boss Kelly supportive of Anthony Cunningham

The Galway hurling crisis may have reached the point of no return, according to outgoing under-21 manager Johnny Kelly.

Despite the imminent appointment of an independent mediator aimed at settling the reported differences between manager Anthony Cunningham and a section of his players, Kelly is unsure "can it ever be back to normal".

Speaking in his current role as manager of newly crowned Offaly champions Coolderry, Kelly – who spent the last three seasons as Galway under-21 manager – believes that Cunningham should be given every chance of continuing into 2016. But that decision needs to be made sooner rather than later.

“Being honest about it, if you lose a dressing room, you are probably better off to admit defeat,” says Kelly. “I don’t know can it ever be back to normal.

“Having said that, Anthony did get that team to an All-Ireland final. I think everyone should realise that fact, and he has put in huge work-rate, over not alone the last three or four years, but the years previously with under-21s in Galway. He’s been good for Galway, so I think with respect to the man, he deserves to be heard as well.

“I was involved with Anthony, in that we had a link process, between the seniors and the under-21’s. For a management that got a team to an All-Ireland final, you would say his job would be safe, so it is strange.

“Obviously there were concerns by some of the players, they voiced those concerns, so I suppose the overriding factor is there needed to be a small bit of debate about that, a sit-down meeting to clear the air. That would have been the prudent way to proceed. But obviously that didn’t happen and we are where we are now.”

Kelly managed Portumna to the All-Ireland club title in 2009, and was also part of the backroom team when they won in 2008: “Galway can be quite political, and you’d hope that common sense will prevail, that the best people will stay involved with Galway, both players and management.

“Galway had a good year this year at senior level and we need to be cognisant of that. If we are to move forward, we need everyone to pull together in Galway and get behind the team and management. . .

“It’s really wait and see time, who is going to mediate, but they have a difficult job.”