O'Mahony decides to stay on

Galway football received a heartening morale boost last night when team manager John O'Mahony confirmed that he would be in charge of the senior squad through next season.

There had been widespread speculation that O'Mahony might step down. He spent the last few weeks deliberating over his position in the wake of the defeat by Kerry in the All-Ireland final replay. "Well, the decision is made and we will be back on the line for the (National) League game against Roscommon on Sunday. No rest for the wicked," he joked last night, confirming that his co-selectors, Pete Warren and Stephen Joyce, had also agreed to remain on. "It is a big decision for anyone involved with this because it really is a never-ending season, a fact that is highlighted in that we are out again on Sunday.

"It's the type of situation that you simply have to give a full commitment to. There can be no half measures and for that reason, I took a few weeks to think about it. And it came down to the fact that the team and those involved with Galway football are good people, it has been great working with them and I feel that we still have a good squad there."

The strength of Galway's intercounty panel was underlined by their presence in the All-Ireland final despite a catastrophic series of injuries. Although the management was reluctant to dwell on those after the loss to Kerry, Galway suffered a succession of blows that were nearly impossible to overcome. The most crucial loss was probably that of Kevin Walsh 18 minutes into the replay.

"My thoughts on that were purely to do with Kevin himself. No one knew how hard he battled along with the medical team to recover from his groin strain, and to pick up a fresh injury was particularly cruel. Certainly, it contributed to our demise, and later on it made us realise how lucky we had been in 1998 to have such a clear run. But then, injuries hit other teams also - Kerry lost Barry O'Shea this year, for instance."

History will probably deem Galway's championship performance as extremely good given their dire run of luck, but right now it is of scant consolation to the squad.

"Yeah, many counties would be happy to have gone as far as we could. But to almost reach the summit, to virtually view the promised land and not get there is hard to take.

"We met at Ja Fallon's wedding on the Friday after the game and it was a lovely day for Ja and also, I suppose, a time for bonding for the team. When you consider that we fought from seven points down in the drawn game to almost snatch it, well, it is tempting to look back. But until you play another game, you inevitably dwell on the last game."

But it is too early to say if the imminence of the league will help or hinder Galway. Several regulars are certain to be unavailable, and with postponed club games still in progress, the management team will have to spend serious phone hours to finalise the squad. And it will be difficult for the players involved to raise enthusiasm for competitive football so soon after the September heartache.

However, the squad will undoubtedly be bolstered by word that O'Mahony has committed for another season and few would bet against them maintaining the remarkable form that saw them win a championship in 1998 and brought them within a hair's breadth of another over the past three seasons. Sunday is just the first, small step.

"Well, until you play, it's hard to know," said O'Mahony. "But they are a great bunch of lads and we have to move on."

Limerick have found themselves with a multiplicity of problems as they prepare for Sunday's opening National Football League game against Westmeath in Mullingar.

They are forced to travel without manager Liam Kearns, their three selectors and 12 panel members. All are in the Canaries with the Limerick under-21 football team which reached the All-Ireland final.

The party is not due back at Cork Airport until after midday on Sunday. "And there is no way we can get them to Mullingar in time for a 2.30 start," said county board secretary James Hartigan.

Donegal (SF v Offaly): T Blake; S Carr, M Crossan, N McGinley; N Hegarty, R Sweeney, D Diver; J Gildea, B Monaghan; J Gallagher, M Hegarty, M Doherty; J McCafferty, A Sweeney, S Cassidy.

Sligo (SF v Fermanagh): P Walsh; P Gallagher, M Cosgrove, P Phillips; D Durcan, N Clancy, N Maguire; C O'Meara, P Durkan; D Sloyane, K O'Neill, S Davey; E O'Hara, P Taylor, G McGowan.