‘Making the right decisions'
Galway manager hails his team after four in-a-row win
HERALD SPORT heard the views of Galway manager Padraic Joyce in the wake of Sunday's epic Connacht Senior Football Championship final win over Mayo at MacHale Park, Castlebar.
Read our extensive coverage in this week's edition.
ON A CLOSE CONNACHT FINAL
We knew deep down that it was going to be a tight game. It always has been. The players in Mayo haven’t changed over the last three or four years. The players in Galway haven’t changed bar two or three. We know the quality in the dressing-room over there. A kick of the ball the last three [championship] games, we knew again today would be the same thing.
ON WHAT MADE THE DIFFERENCE
It was a brilliant game of football. The way football should be played. Both teams went out and went at it really hard. Hard hits, hard tackles, all fair in fairness. A bit of pulling and dragging off the ball for kickouts, that is expected. Overall, it was a brilliant game of football. I know Mayo will rue the chances they missed at the end, but for us to eke out the result against the wind, under pressure on our kickout in the second half, got an eight point lead at half-time, we conceded a goal straight away at the start and were on the back foot.
For me, I think our lads showed great character at the end. We got a huge, huge impact from our lads on the bench. We were saying it all week, the bench we have is strong enough once they come in and perform..............................
Read our reports, analysis and interviews from the game in this week's Tuam Herald Sport, on sale in shops and online here