Walsh demands a more ruthless Galway for Laois test
GALWAY senior football manager Kevin Walsh wants his charges to be more ruthless in attack, and to enjoy a better free-taking success rate when the National Football League resumes this weekend after a three week break.
The Killanin man also believes Galway must also cut down on the number of frees conceded in scoring positions if they are to maintain their 100% start to the division two campaign, which included Spring wins over Meath and Westmeath.
This Sunday’s visitors to Tuam Stadium (throw-in 2pm) are pointless after the opening two rounds but Walsh says that’s why Laois are dangerous.
“Absolutely, they are at their most dangerous now,” says Walsh, who points out Galway’s modern day record against Laois is quite poor – they haven’t won one of the six league meetings between the teams since the turn of the Millennium.
Two of those games ended in stalemate, in 2004 at Portlaoise, and the last time they squared-off in Tuam (2006) when it was eight points apiece. But Galway were beaten in the other four matches, including a fairly horrendous clipping (1-20 to 0-8) against the O’Moore men last season, and a five points defeat in 2013.
Laois’s start to the 2015 campaign (losses away to Westmeath and at home to Cavan) suggests they are on the slide but Walsh has drilled the Galway players to expect a backlash.
“They need to get points but having said that they could be talking a different story in four weeks’ time if they get a couple of points on the bounce. That can often happen with teams. What doesn’t change is that Galway doesn’t have a great record against Laois. We lost the last two in a row, two big hammerings.
“This is something that we have to be aware of, it’s something that Laois will be aware of and they know they have a great record against Galway over the last number of years. I’m sure they’ve been working on stuff over the three week break as well, which gave them time to get themselves in order, and see where they are.”