Boss Mulholland expecting new team leaders to step forward

Dara Bradley

GALWAY senior football manager Alan Mulholland is confident new leaders will emerge in the forthcoming championship campaign, which gets underway with a mouth-watering clash with rivals Mayo in the quarter-final of the Connacht Championship at Pearse Stadium on Sunday (throw-in 4pm).

The 2013 championship is the first time in donkeys’ years Galway embarks on a campaign without the services of Pádraic Joyce and Joe Bergin – Mulholland pointed out that the decision of the two veterans to retire means that the senior squad is without playing links to 2001, the last time Galway won the All-Ireland.

However, the Salthill native is confident that the absence of Bergin and Joyce offers an opportunity to the next generation to take up the leadership baton, starting against Mayo, who are raging hot favourites and going for three-in-a-row of Connacht titles.

“This is the first year that Galway has planned without Pádraic Joyce and Joe Bergin and so there is no link to the 2001 team in the squad and for the first time there’s no senior All-Ireland medal holder in the squad. That represents an opportunity, now.

“There is a requirement on the middle-aged guys in the squad, if I can call them that, the guys aged in the 24-28 group, to show leadership and to become the leaders, and in fairness to them, that’s what they’ve been doing all year and I’m confident that they can continue to show leadership and step up to the mark,” Mulholland told Sentinel Sport.

Captain and full-back Finian Hanley is recovering from a shoulder injury. Mulholland said Hanley will be kept under observation and monitored all this week before a decision is made on his fitness.

Gary Sweeney picked up a knock to his knee on Sunday and he’s another who will be monitored. St James’ clubman, John Egan, who played in goals during the league, remains out with a dislocated shoulder. With Adrian Faherty abroad, management is hoping U21 ‘keeper Thomas Healy, who sustained a groin injury in the All-Ireland final a fortnight ago, will be okay.

Maghnus Breathnach, An Spidéal, will be first choice ‘keeper, and if Healy doesn’t make it then the current goalkeeping coach, Pádraig Lally, also of An Spidéal, could be called upon to have a dual role including substitute ‘keeper; or another club keeper could be called up to the panel.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.