SEAN Holley has signalled the start of this season's round of East-West mind games by declaring that Dai Young and the Blues will be "desperate" to win the Magners League for the first time.

Young has yet to achieve Celtic success eight years into his Cardiff coaching reign.

And while the former Wales prop led his side to the second-tier Amlin Challenge Cup last term, Holley believes his Blues counterpart will this season be anxious to strike silverware in a Magners competition that has grown in stature with the introduction of play-offs.

"I really do think it's a very competitive competition now — and rightly so, because it gives you a lot of kudos and a lot of bragging rights," said Holley, who has helped guide the Ospreys to titles in 2005, 2007 and 2010.

"Hey, we've won it three times. It's nice to be able to sit here and say that. Dai can't say that.

"I think in his long tenure he'd be really desperate to win something like the Magners this year.

"With the squad he has, you'd have to say they should be there or thereabouts.

"I think they'll be one of the teams to beat."

Asked whether he was indulging in mind games with Young, Holley replied: "No, I told him the same."

In fairness to Holley, Young has untypically piled pressure on himself by declaring the current Blues line-up to be ''by far the strongest squad I've had".

Young added: "We have gone on record as saying we want to do well in the Magners. We are giving it a much bigger focus."

The Blues start at home to Edinburgh on Saturday, with the Ospreys facing Ulster in Belfast tomorrow evening.