Galway hope to put down wounded Cats

WHO’S sorry now? Last year, the Galway County Board turned down the option of playing in this season’s Leinster SHC.

Had they accepted they would have had to win that provincial championship to qualify directly for an All-Ireland semi-final. It would have meant a maximum of three games, a chance to assess their strengths and weaknesses, all with the comfort of the back door route to the All-Ireland series.

However, despite the manager Conor Hayes' stated support for the proposal, the Tribesmen opted for the status quo. Having dismissed (unimpressively) the first-round challenge of Down, their second-chance option is gone.