Davy Fitzgerald has brought the curtain down on his second term as Waterford hurling manager.
The Clare man had been in charge for the last two seasons, during which the Deise failed to emerge from the Munster SHC. In spite of this, the news comes as a surprise as he was widely expected to continue for another year.
Waterford GAA chairman Sean Micheal O'Regan said: "We sincerely thank Davy for his hard work and dedication over the past two years. His impact on the team has been significant, and we wish him the very best in his future endeavours."
There is already speculation that the much-travelled Fitzgerald could take another inter-county job next season. When asked about such a possibility by Marty Morrissey on RTÉ Radio One's Morning Ireland, he replied: “Never say never.
“If the right thing comes at some stage, yeah, maybe it will be next year or the year after. You don’t know, you never know what will happen.
“Am I saying I’m out of love with the game? Definitely not. I’m not out of love. But I suppose circumstances, as I said to you earlier, are just a bit different right now.
“It’s nice to have a summer; I don’t get too many summers where I don’t have to think about hurling. Might that change? It might, I don’t know."
TweetWaterford GAA Statement 02 Jul 2024 pic.twitter.com/XbDlRNeg7w
— Waterford GAA (@WaterfordGAA) July 2, 2024