Fitzgerald and Coleman exit adds to GalwayÕs woes

Date Published: {J}

FRANK FARRAGHER

A ROPEY start to the season for Galway footballers looks like getting tougher following the news over the weekend that Corofin’s Kieran Fitzgerald – one of the team’s three captains – and Niall Coleman have left the panel.

It all makes for a tough trip North on Sunday for new manager Tomás Ó Flatharta as Galway face All-Ireland finalists Down on their home turf of Newry (2.30), following a five point defeat at the hands of Monaghan in Clones.

Officially Fitzgerald has quit the panel because of long standing injury problems and Coleman due to work commitments but already – with Valentine’s Day barely out of the way – there is speculation of problems in the Galway camp.

Killererin’s Nicky Joyce – arguably the best forward in the club championship of 2010 with the exception of cousin Padraic – hasn’t rejoined the panel while Corofin’s Damien Burke is also not involved with the squad.

On top of all that, Michael Meehan’s ankle injury, suffered in the Connacht semi-final championship replay against Sligo in Markievicz Park last Summer, looks set to keep him out of action for most, if not all of, the league campaign while Padraic Joyce is also on the injured list and seems unlikely to feature in the next two to three league games at least.

Corofin’s Kieran Fitzgerald is one of the game’s most honest players and it is no secret that he has consistently been put through the pain barrier over the past few seasons due to an ongoing upper leg problem that hasn’t responded to treatment.

However what is slightly difficult to read for the Galway football public is the fact that the All-Star from 2001, made the big decision at the start of the season to be included in the panel and secondly to accept the one third share of the captaincy.

The Corofin clubman did not have a good day in Clones last Sunday week, on admittedly a top class forward in the lightning fast Conor McManus, making way at half-time for David Reilly.

Fitzgerald though may have taken a genuinely personal decision that the battle against his injury was just unwinnable at inter-county level, where those few yards of pace can be critical. His parting with Galway is believed to have been amicable.

Niall Coleman did come on for Cillian de Paor against Monaghan in the second half, but again the Annaghdown clubman was introduced into attack, and this never has been his favourite position.

Coleman – another fiercely committed player – has never been a happy camper in the half forward role and may have been influenced to sever his inter-county link for this season at least, on the basis that he wasn’t going to get his chance at midfield or possibly the centre back role.

The rumour mill has also been rife this week of other possible defections but it seems likely that ‘the hare will be let sit’ for some time. It may be asking too much to expect a Galway win on Sunday, but a credible performance is an absolute necessity to maintain morale after such a troubled week.

Collectively Galway have trained exceptionally hard since the first days of January but some squad members are known to be of the opinion that the programme has been too physically and endurance orientated, with more football needed in the schedule.

Currently the squad is training four nights a week, Monday through to Thursday, plus the weekends when there isn’t a league match on.

Fitness and preparation programmes are now a science in themselves with individual trainers placing different emphases on areas such as body strength, endurance, agility, pace and ball skills.

The man given this responsibility in Tomás Ó Flatharta’s regime is Stephen Smith, who has a background in rugby team preparation.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.