AMONG last weekend's more eye catching results was Galway's demolition of Leitrim in the FBD Connacht League. Leitrim were very under strength with only four of their starting line up from last June's Connacht semifinal on show but Galway had just returned, the night before, from a week's holiday.

Val Daly also became a player manager, togging off for part of the match although the veteran Galway forward isn't certain about continuing in a dual capacity. "That remains to be seen. If it's the best thing for Galway football, fine if not, no."

It's been a rough entry to county management for Daly who was appointed in late September and suffered difficulties over the appointment of a selector. In addition, his playing hand was weakened during the opening phase of the league during which they lost three matches to Westmeath, Wicklow and Longford out of four.

"The league hasn't gone well in terms of results," he says understatedly, "but the training and commitment has been good and the panel is getting stronger. Just last week, we had the benefit of Damien Mitchell, Ray Silke and Niall Finnegan coming back. It was a big plus to have Damien back in the side, he's been missing for nearly a year.

"We've been playing without key people in the league to date.

Fergal Gavin's been in Spain working and we may have to plan without him for the year and Kevin Walsh has a long term injury.

My original policy was to get a big panel together and take it from there. Now players are beginning to filter back. I've seen a lot of people play and have a good idea of the best.

"For the next six months the target is to find a team which will represent Galway in the championship. It looks as if Down and Roscommon will get promotion (from Division Three) but we've to play them and our players will be looking to test themselves.

We'll be a lot stronger in February and March than we were in the winter. We're not going to qualify for promotion and I'll be happy if we can pull a settled team out of the league."

After a disappointing 1996 in which Galway failed to win promotion from Division Three and lost their Connacht title to Mayo, the team holiday to Spain restored a little cheer and morale.

"The crack was good and there was great spirit," says Daly. "We did a bit of everything - training, golf, sight seeing, having a few beers. A lot of players didn't know what it was like to go away as a team and they responded well and got something out of it. I was surprised. I've been around and thought I knew them but now I know them better. With the regulars out of the team recently, younger guys have come in and it did them good to mix with the more experienced players. Everything gelled."

The battle lines for the coming year are plainly drawn. Aside from salvaging a first choice team from the remaining matches of the NFL, Daly and Galway must focus on their first round championship meeting with Mayo whose exploits in nearly winning the All Ireland did much to rehabilitate the image of football in the west.

Tomorrow Galway travel to Enniscrone to take on Sligo in the second round of the Connacht League and speaking fearlessly from the desk of his new job with FBD Ballinasloe, Daly has this to say about the value of the competition. "It's the best league in the world. And you can quote me on that and send it to head office."

Elsewhere tomorrow in Connacht, Mayo host double jobbing Clare - free from their McGrath Cup commitments this weekend - at Kiltimagh where Mayo's manager John Maughan (a little unwell yesterday) will be facing the county with whom he made his name.

Roscommon travel to Cloone to play Leitrim.

In the McGrath Cup, last week's losers Waterford and Limerick - whose attempts at emulating Galway's legendary Coiste Iomana in a football context are encountering administrative turbulence - play Cork and Kerry respectively.

Finally, Leinster's O'Byrne Cup has reached the quarter final stage. Meath enter the lists, with much reduced capacity as the senior panel is holidaying in Lanzarote, to play in form Offaly.

Wexford who won last year's semi final between the teams, face an experimental Dublin at Wexford Park. Westmeath, surprise winners over Laois last week, entertain Louth and a short ball fiesta is expected at Dr Cullen Park when Mick O'Dwyer's Kildare visit Carlow whose Eire Og contingent is again available.