Galway manager Kevin Walsh refuses to use the absence of a number of players as an excuse for their mixed start to the NFL campaign.

The Tribesmen followed up their opening day win over Cavan with a poor performance against Dublin as they prepare to face Monaghan this weekend.

The Corofin contingent are absent due to their club commitments, while they have a number of players on the treatment table at the moment including captain Damien Comer, Sean Andy O Ceallaigh, Eamonn Brannigan, Michael Daly, John Daly, Adrian Varley, Declan Kyne and Paul Conroy.

However, Walsh told the Connacht Tribune that this just opens the door for fringe players to stake a claim for a regular starting spot.

“We’re not using it as an excuse, but yeah, we’re missing a lot of players, but that gives other lads the opportunity to step up and we’re going to need a few more players to step up later on in the year. We’re disappointed with how we finished against Dublin but it was a good first half and that's only game two out of seven.

“We always knew we needed to win two points against Cavan, because the next two games away were always going to be difficult, especially with injuries, but as I said, it’s short term pain for hopefully long term gain.”

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