Galway welcome Kildare to Tuam Stadium this Sunday as they look to bounce back from their first league defeat of the season.
Daniel Moynihan's side will look to respond as they lost to Cork by two-points last weekend. Kildare are in search of their first league victory after drawing with Cork in their opener before falling to Armagh last Sunday.
Galway travelled to Páirc Uí Rinn last Sunday seeking to build on their convincing opening day win over Meath. Andrea Trill and Leanne Coen found the net for Galway but Aine O’Sullivan’s goal put Cork in the driving seat as they maintained their unbeaten return to Division 1 with a 1-10 to 2-5 victory.
"Not too happy with the performance, don’t think we got going at all in the whole game and we rightly got punished for it," said Moynihan, speaking after the match.
"They had their back up after last weekend and had a bit of fire in their belly and that’s what happens in Division 1."
Kildare failed to build on their draw with Cork on the opening weekend as they lost to Armagh by 0-9 to 0-13. But manager Pat Sullivan put that down to the intensity of their performance against the Rebels the weekend before.
"We put a lot into that game," said Kelly. "Maybe there was a bit of a hangover from last week and we looked a bit tired at the end of it as well there.
"The performance last week was really, really good to be fair. The performance today in patches, for 45 minutes of that game, was good. There’s a lot of players learning their trade and it’s a learning zone for Division 1, and we’re trying to build that panel for further along the road for championship."
Moynihan will no doubt be eager to see a response from his side in front of a home crowd this weekend. A wounded Kildare could offer the perfect opportunity.
Throw-in at Tuam Stadium is 2pm this Sunday, February 8.
