Galway to decide on Loughnane next month

THE GALWAY Hurling Board will make a final decision at a meeting next month on whether manager Ger Loughnane will take charge for a third year.

Loughnane presented a report to the board and delegates at a meeting on Tuesday night in which there was a full and frank exchange of views on the defeat to Cork in this season's championship.

Loughnane explained: "I always like to come and meet the people or face the people who make accusations and to get a chance to reply to them.

"It (the meeting) was basically presenting a report and then a question-and-answer session (where) I asked the people who had something to say the last time to stand up and say it again: most of them did. So we had a very frank exchange of views which was beneficial to us both."

Loughnane also insisted the Galway Hurling Board needed to seek a change to the current All-Ireland hurling championship format but would not be drawn specifically on whether that should see the county move to the Leinster championship. He was adamant the current format was unworkable from a Galway perspective in that it was hugely compromising to the county's chances of progressing in the competition.