Armagh manager Kieran McGeeney says he will take a different approach to pre-season training following a disastrous 2016.
McGeeney said his side did very little pre-season training ahead of the 2016 campaign, which culminated in relegation from Division Two and an early exit from the Championship.
And he blames poor preparation for the loss of key players early in the season; a list which included Ciaran McKeever, Brendan Donaghy, Kevin Dyas, Mark Shields, Eugene McVerry, Stefan Campbell, Michael Murray, Ethan Rafferty, Andrew Murnin, and James Morgan.
“We are going well and everyone seems keen which is always good to ramp up competition but it is still very early in the year,” said McGeeney.
“We did very little pre-season training last year and we have tried to change that at the end of this year as by all accounts it was a bad way to do it. We picked up a lot of injuries and then we had the club season coming in and then the championship season and it just culminated in 13 injuries this year.
“Science is pointing towards the theory that you need a proper pre-season to cope with the demands but we were giving the lads time off. We have to try these things and sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t.”
Following a wrist operation earlier this year, James Morgan will be available for his first pre-season with the county while McGeeney intends to ask Andy Mallon onto the panel later in the year.
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