Tribesmen Continue Promising Start

Three NFL rounds gone, four more to go. Kerry - with their 100% record - look menacing. Tyrone look like they don't really want to bother much with Springtime football. And Dublin will be happy just to have won their first league points. Nothing unusual to report in all that.

It is Galway however that have the pundits talking. You know what these so-called experts are like. They are forever looking to signpost the season for us before it has even began, and are desperate to spot the next contenders for Sam. Just tipping Kerry, or Tyrone for a back-to-back would be playing it safe. So, after three league wins from three, Galway seem to have got the vote.

In this week's Irish Indepenedent, Martin Breheny writes about how Galway are starting to look like real contenders. It is easy to agree with this assessment. Bar Kerry, the Tribesmen have the best forwards in the country, and judging by last Saturday evening's battle with Tyrone at a rain-sodden Healy Park, they have acquired a bit of steel to match the fluidity of their attacking play.

'Strength in depth' seems to be the phrase of the month among Ireland's top managers, as their teams try to emulate the quantity of quality possessed by Tyrone and Kerry. Galway manager Liam Sammon is eager to achieve just that:

"It's having players competing for positions that we really want. That's the secret really, and that's what will drive the team on to hopefully further success."

Meanwhile over in the O'Neill county, they are having to endure talk of a possible relegation battle. Two successive home defeats would certainly point to this outcome, but Mickey Harte won't be worried. A quiet league campaign and a low-key build-up to the Summer would be ideal for his side. Blustery nights in March will be forgotten come August and September.