Laois upbeat ahead of Galway clash

Laois will be facing a hungry Galway side on Saturday evening when the Tribesmen taste their first action of the 2007 championship in Portlaoise.

Looking back through the counties' previous meetings during the past five years it would be easy for the casual follower of the game to point to a Galway victory this weekend, but this is not as clear-cut a case as people might think.

Laois captain Joe Fitzpatrick has played a major role in each Laois-Galway game in both the league and championship since 2004.

Galway have won all of those games but Fitzpatrick feels that there is a new impetus in Laois' game this year to bring their hurling to the next level.

"We have probably trained a bit better this year and Galway can blow hot and cold at times. It would be good to catch them if we could catch them on the hop alright especially since they haven't hurled in so long, this would be their first competitive game," Fitzpatrick told breakingnews.ie.

2005 was the year that saw Laois get the closest they have gotten to beating Galway in recent times with just four points between the teams in the league, while although 11 points separated the teams three months later in the championship, Galway only managed to pull away in the latter stages.

"We would nearly always put it up to Galway in a game, they just seem to pull away from us in the last 10 or 15 minutes and in the last few years it was probably fitness that let us down in the end. But this year we seem to be fitter and hopefully we can stay with them right to the end," Fitzpatrick added.

Last year's qualifier clash saw Galway rattle in seven goals on an off-day for the Laois defence. Midfielder Fitzpatrick scored a point that day but is hoping for much better this time around, admitting: "It wasn't a great day for us and hopefully we can get it out of our system this weekend."

Three months previously Laois faced Galway in the league and lost by 3-12 to 0-5 but this was very much an experimental side and Fitzpatrick is happy that the current starting 15 has a settled look about it.

"The team has been more or less the same all year and the panel is strong, everyone is fighting hard for places.

"With the U-21s putting in a good performance against Kilkenny, hopefully a few more lads from that side can make the senior grade in the next few years and strengthen up everything," the Rathdowney-Errill clubman said.

Galway have not played any challenge matches in the build-up to this game, four rounds of competitive club action along with county training in the racing paddocks in Tubber on the Galway/Clare border have ensured that Loughnane's charges are well-prepared for Saturday's tie, which has a 7pm throw-in at O'Moore Park.

Meanwhile, Laois tasted challenge match action last week with a comprehensive win over Limerick Intermediates in New Inn, and there is certainly a very positive mood in Damien Fox's camp ahead of this game with just one major injury to report as John Walsh recovers from a hand injury.

The DIT student expects to play some part in Laois' second qualifier against Antrim on Saturday week. Walsh severed a ligament in his thumb, but he anticipates that he will have made a full recovery in time for the trip to Casement Park.