Galway set to use interprovincial loophole to return to training

Galway hurling may be in crisis but there is the small consolation that the players won’t have to wait as long as had been anticipated to start their 2016 preparations.

As per rule, the All-Ireland runners-up are not permitted to return to squad training sessions until December 29. However, not only will they face Dublin in a Super 11s game in Boston next month but they are also likely to comprise all, if not the vast majority, of Connacht’s interprovincial team when they face Ulster in a semi-final on December 5.

Win that game, and they meet Leinster or Munster in the following day’s decider. Several of their players will also be involved in the Opel GAA-GPA All Stars trip to Austin, Texas on December 10.