Having come so close but yet so far, Galway have never given up hope of ending their quest of winning their first All-Ireland since 2004.
After upsetting the odds to reach the final in 2024, a last-second free saw them dragged to extra-time by Dublin, who overcame the Tribeswomen.
So far in 2026, Galway reached the Division One final, followed by their third straight Connacht title with victory against Mayo.
Included in a group with Meath and Tyrone, captain Kate Geraghty is positive about Galway’s prospects, in what she believes will be an open season.
“The championship is so open, you don’t know what team is going to be there in the All-Ireland final. Everyone is just trying to get the best performances they can.
“Nearly all the girls have committed to this year. We have come so close in the last couple of years; we are chomping at the bit to get over the line eventually.
“I think doing the simple things right on the day and getting the team to click on the day is the difference.”
Across all four codes, Galway has a lot to be positive about right now.
The men’s footballers are in the second round of the All-Ireland, while the Hurlers won the Leinster final against Dublin.
The Camogie team go into this season as defending champions, and Geraghty says they can learn from the time they spent training with them.
“The four codes are all doing brilliantly in their own teams. We train with the Camogie team sometimes in the gym, so we chat to them about their games.
“It is nice to see them do well. Seeing them get to the All-Ireland last year and win it, it was so nice to see.”
Despite the disappointment and heartache of the past couple of seasons, Galway have kept the majority of their squad, while adding younger emerging talent.
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While other squads have seen big-name retirements, long-term injuries to key players and others go to Australia, Geraghty says keeping the squad together proves the confidence in the group.
“I know for ourselves, we have been so close, so people don’t want to go travelling or go abroad.
“At the end of the day, everyone wants to be here to win an All-Ireland. At the beginning of the year, you are either committed or you are not.
“It is everyone’s goal at the end of the day to get there, we still have a few hurdles to jump.”
