Anthony Cunningham is looking to blend youth and experience after naming a 37-man Galway training panel ahead of the 2012 hurling campaign.
The new manager has included all 15 players from this year’s All-Ireland winning Under-21 team, and has controversially left several senior players out of the panel.
Captain Damien Joyce and former All Star Ger Farragher are two of the high profile players to be left out, while John Lee, Shane Kavanagh, Joe Gantley and Donal Barry, are also missing.
A statement from the Galway senior management team explained the reasoning behind the squad selection
The statement read: "The group is based on a mix of youth, experience, energy, commitment and desire to allow us to embark on the development process now required to build a Galway Senior Hurling team capable of success against the top teams during our three-year management term.
"While our training panel contains a number of quality and experienced players that have represented Galway seniors over the last number of years, and players that have impressed in this year’s county senior and intermediate club hurling championship.
“It is also strongly focused on youth with all 15 players from this years successful All-Ireland winning U-21 team and a total of 14 that are underage for 2012 U-21 campaign also included.
There is still room for manoeuvre for the senior players that have been omitted as the new management team have emphasised that the squad has not been finalised.
The statement continued: "However, we want to strongly emphasise that it is an open-ended panel and will be revised for the 2012 League campaign.
“Player performances during club and college campaigns will be closely monitored. In addition, the work that will be undertaken by the Galway development squad will be important in providing the environment to produce players that have the necessary attributes and potential to progress to the senior squad.”
Galway panel: James Skehill, David Collins, Fergal Moore, Tony Og Regan, Kevin Hynes, Andy Smith, Cyril Donnellan, Enna Ryan, Damien Hayes, Joe Canning, Mark Lydon, Jamie Ryan, Barry Daly, Conor Cooney, David Burke, Davy Glennon, Deci Connolly, Ger O Halloran, James Regan, Jason Grealish, Johnny Coen, Niall Burke, Ritchie Cummins, Brian Regan, Iarla Tannian, Bernard Burke, Conor Burke, Donal Cooney, Donal Fox, Fergal Flannery, Niall Donoghue, Paul Gordon, Tadhg Haran, Aidan Harte, Paul Huban, Mark Horan, Brian Flaherty.
