Joyce left with loads of regrets as Galway miss a lot

FOLLOWING Galway’s All-Ireland football final defeat to Armagh, team manager Pádraic Joyce was naturally devastated in the aftermath of the game. After going into the final as slight favourites, the Tribesmen failed to produce their best form on football’s biggest day, a scenario which left the Galway boss visibly frustrated.

‘‘We’re absolutely devastated,’’ he said. ‘‘The dressing room is in an awful state in there. Congratulations to Armagh, and to Kieran (McGeeney), you can’t take anything away from their win. They won the game and fair play to them. But we have to be realistic, and we didn’t play anywhere near our potential in the second half.’’

Joyce admitted that Galway’s mistakes cost them when the game was in the balance and pointed to the Tribesmen’s scoring return from their chances created as a major disappointment. It contributed to the manager’s feeling that his side had left this All-Ireland behind them.

‘‘I think we probably made more mistakes in that second half then we had made all year, to be honest. It’s very hard to take. We had 25 shots at goal, and we only scored 13 [points]. Look, I’m not going to sit here and criticise our players, because they’re great lads, and they’ve given us so much. The effort they’ve all put in for me this year, and over the last five years has just been fantastic. It’s just very hard to put our finger on why we didn’t perform the way we could have today.’’

In the aftermath of the game, Joyce was struggling to come to terms with the self-inflicted element of their loss to Armagh. The Galway manager wasn’t making any excuses for the defeat or attempting to sugar coat the scale of their disappointment.

‘‘Look, there was always going to be one team going home very disappointed, and unfortunately that’s us today. In all honesty, we have nobody to blame but ourselves. Sometimes these things go for you, and sometimes they go against you. So, look, we’re just going to have to take it on the chin and try to move on.’’

The loss of Salthill-Knocknacara forward Rob Finnerty to injury in the tenth minute of the first half was a major blow to Galway’s efforts. Finnerty’s form in attack was a key factor in the Tribesmen’s successful season and their championship run in 2024.

Pictured: Galway's Robert Finnerty is an early casualty in Sunday's All-Ireland Final as team manager Padraic Joyce and selector John Concannon assess the damage. Photo: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile