Conor Whelan must play without element of surprise

Conor Whelan knows he will now have to make do without the surprise element of his first senior season with Galway.

The Kinvara 19-year-old shot to prominence last year, scoring 1-2 against Cork in an All-Ireland quarter-final after being drafted into the team from relative obscurity by Anthony Cunningham.

He followed up with two points against Tipperary in the semi-final and again in the final defeat to Kilkenny.