The way was last night cleared for Ger Loughnane to become the new Galway hurling manager after Mattie Murphy and Seán Silke withdrew from the contest.Intense lobbying by Galway Hurling Board in the aftermath of Loughnane's decision to withdraw his name from the contest, led to Murphy and Silke withdrawing.

Loughnane, whose nomination received huge support from Galway clubs on Tuesday night, stunned Galway officials when he said he was no longer interested in taking the job. Loughnane intimated he would not allow his name go forward if there was a contest for the position. Three of the six nominated, fellow Claremen Pat O'Connor and Davey Fitzgerald, along with Portumna's Seán Treacy, withdrew to clear the way for Loughnane.

But with Silke and Murphy remaining in race, Loughnane took the decision to remove himself as a candidate. That led to a day of intense activity in Galway hurling circles yesterday. The players issued a statement to Galway Bay FM saying they still believed Loughnane was the best man for the job, while hurling board officials asked Silke and Murphy to withdraw in the hope that Loughnane could be enticed back. Silke said: "I would like to announce that following a request from the Galway Hurling Board Chairman, Miko Ryan, I am now withdrawing my name from the contest." Murphy also withdrew, indicating he would re-enter if Loughnane could not be enticed back.