The Galway senior footballers and their new management team of Alan Mulholland, Donal Ó Flatharta and Alan Flynn start out this week on the 2012 season with two games in the FBD league.
The first competitive fixture of the year was due to be played last night (Wednesday ) against Sligo IT in Ballyhaunis, while next Sunday the team will be in action against NUIG in Tuam (2pm ).
The FBD league will give management an ideal opportunity to try out a number of players at senior level and to come up with the panel of 25 or 30 players in whom they will be putting their faith for the National Football League that commences in four weeks with a testing start away to Derry.
A major objective of the national league will be to try to get the team playing to a high standard, while also trying out some new approaches to get Galway playing football with renewed confidence and passion. No doubt the management team will be keen to freshen things up a bit and a good few of the All-Ireland winning u-21 team from last season and some of the minors from 2007 are likely to be given scope to impress and improve.
If some of those talented young men can gel with some of the more experienced players on the squad, progress will be made.
However Galway will still hope to be very competitive in division two of the national league and a priority will be to avoid slipping any further down, In that regard it is a positive that Galway will play four of their league games at home venues. When facing the likes of Meath, Tyrone and Kildare, Galway must use any slight advantage, and having those three at home is a plus.
Galway’s first home game in the league is on February 12 against Louth and that tie, and round three away to Westmeath will be key games to try to gain points.
