Henry Shefflin will take his first steps in inter-county management with Galway.
The Kilkenny legend has pipped Davy Fitzgerald to a role vacated by Shane O'Neill in September.
Fitzgerald looked to be in pole position to take his fourth inter-county management job, but instead the Galway county board have turned to the ten-time All Ireland winner.
2017 All Ireland winner Micheál Donoghue had been an early candidate to replace O'Neill, but opted to drop out of the running.
Shefflin is no stranger to management itself, having taken over local club Ballyhale Shamrocks in 2017. The following year they were crowned county and Leinster champions.
Shamrocks won a seventh All Ireland Club Hurling title under Shefflin in 2019, and they repeated the trick the following year.
He quit in early 2020, before taking up a role with Thomastown later that year.
He's remained in a prominent position as an RTÉ Sport pundit following his retirement from the Kilkenny panel.
Shefflin told Brian O'Driscoll earlier this year that he couldn't envisage managing against "his own" as he explained joining intermediate Thomastown from Ballyhale.
However, in accepting the Galway post, he said, "Managing the Galway senior hurlers presents a unique opportunity, and we relish the exciting challenge ahead as we begin this journey.
"We look forward to working with the players, the county board, and the wider Galway GAA community over the coming years."
Shefflin will be assisted by fellow Kilkenny native Richie O'Neill, with the rest of his backroom team taking shape in the coming weeks.
Galway GAA thanked the other candidates who put themselves forward for consideration.
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