Galway senior football team manager Pádraic Joyce. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
By Cian O'Connell
"I think we were a more battled hardened team coming down the stretch," Galway manager Padraic Joyce reflected following Sunday's All-Ireland SFC Semi-Final win over Donegal at Croke Park.
"If you look at the games we played – Mayo in the Connacht Final, the Sligo game obviously we were in trouble, but we found a way to win it, and then we have had Derry, Armagh, Westmeath, Dublin the last day, whereas Donegal the last two games they have coasted through probably Clare and Louth easier than they would have liked.
"It showed in the game on Saturday night even, Armagh were the more battle hardened team and they found a way to stick it out. I think that was the difference, we are probably a little bit more developed than Donegal, to be honest."
During Galway's 2024 adventure a victory over Dublin was registered, but Joyce acknowledged the importance of building on that success. "After the emotion of beating Dublin the last day, it would have been a damp squib had we lost today," Joyce remarked.
"It wouldn't have meant much to us or it wouldn't have been really talked about. We spoke a lot about that with the lads. In fairness to the lads, we obviously enjoyed that Saturday night after Dublin and the lads got back down to work the following morning.
"They did a recovery session in Blackrock in Salthill like they always do. They got looked after then by Finian Hanley next door for breakfast so it was great. The lads were mighty. And then we focused on Donegal."
Galway's diligent defensive work was evident once more in the Donegal triumph. "It’s something I was probably a bit naïve when I came into the job, saying we were playing fancy football, we did for a long time, but obviously we had to shore up our defence," Joyce says.
"And that is down to the work Cian O’Neill and John Divilly are doing with the lads, they are well structured.
"You look at the lads in there – Johnny McGrath, Jack Glynn, they are not massive giants, Seán Fitzgerald, they are young lads that came in and to a man they are outstanding lads. Seán Mulkerrin, Dylan McHugh with them, playing serious football and are keeping Kieran Molloy and John Daly off that squad as well.
"John and Kieran got a bit of gametime today which is great, they are just really good players and getting great support from the wing forwards as well. It’s pleasing, definitely, and it always gives you a great chance when you are not conceding big scores."
