Ahead of this evening’s Tim Kelly Engineering Floodlit Cup clash with Westmeath at Ballinrobe, here’s a piece from today’s Indo about Liam Sammon and his new book on coaching which should get us thinking about some more significant challenges facing us later in the year. I’m old enough to remember Liam Sammon as a player – a fine one he was too – and he brings with him to the Galway bench an already formidable reputation as a coach. There’s little doubt but that Sammon’s Galway, with all that under-age talent that’s been bubbling up in recent years, will be formidable opponents for us. Plus ca bleedin’ change, eh?

As regards more immediate challenges, our NFL opponents next weekend, Derry, face Down in the final of the McKenna Cup tonight. Like everyone else, Derry have used the competition to unearth new talent and during the week Paddy Crozier said that he was satisfied with how this had gone. He also expressed satisfaction with how Derry had managed to bag their entire 2-12 scoreline in the semi-final (against Fermanagh) from play. As if we didn’t know it already, it looks like we’ll have our work cut out to come away with anything from Celtic Park next weekend.

Finally, I’ve got a bit more news about the launch of the Dublin-based Mayo supporters club that I mentioned last week. I was copied in on an email that was doing the rounds yesterday and it seems that one needs a proper invite to get in the door of the Garda Club on the 5th. There’s nothing like a challenge and so the wheels are already in motion to wangle an invite for myself and The Brother. Apart from the official launch itself, the email I saw yesterday contained some specifics about the pain (twenty notes a month) and the gain (bespoke fleece, free entry to home league matches, entry into draws etc. etc.) involved in signing up to what seems to me to be a long overdue and very welcome venture. Count me in, lads!