Micheál Donoghue's focus on building new Galway team despite poor AHL start against Tipperary

Galway manager Micheál Donoghue insists his focus is on building a team rather than survival in Division 1A despite a comprehensive loss to Tipperary in their Allianz Hurling League opener on Sunday.

Though they had home advantage, the Tribesmen were seven adrift by the break and were somewhat flattered to only lose by 12 points - 3-25 to 2-16 - after a couple of late goals from substitute Declan McLoughlin.

Donoghue, who is in the first year of his second spell in charge, having led Galway to All-Ireland glory in 2017, told RTÉ Sport: "Obviously disappointed with the result. The biggest thing we'd be disappointed with, the lads had trained well over the last few weeks and probably didn't transfer what we'd been doing on the training ground into a match situation.

"Today was a big learning. Relatively young team today, four debutants, so they would have amassed a lot of experience. I thought we did some things well. Obviously, we were trying to work it out in the back. Conceded a lot of turnovers, and every time we did that, we got punished from an experienced Tipp outfit.

"When we came out for the third quarter, we had 12 or 13 shots, I think, only scoring five and and then they go up the field and get another goal, which is a sucker punch.

"They stayed at it, stayed fighting. Probably opportunistic enough goals, but look, they still have to be taken. So, we take whatever learnings we can. Try and regroup again and go again next weekend."

Next weekend will be a trip to Nowlan Park, against a Kilkenny outfit that won in Ennis, and a second successive defeat would put the pressure on in a new-look seven-team top tier where two teams will be relegated automatically.

"I'm not really looking at that to be honest with you," said