Saturday, November 23, 2024

Pádraic Joyce’s bumpy journey enters the final straight

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Galway manager relishing another stab at All-Ireland glory two years after losing to Kerry in the decider

Galway manager Pádraic Joyce speaks with Damien Comer after their victory over Donegal. Photo: Ray McManus/Sportsfile

Four weeks ago, who could have predicted it would all come down to this: Galway and Armagh in the All-Ireland football final? Stefan Campbell had just fisted a late, late equaliser in Markievicz Park. Galway had done everything bar win the game; now they were left stewing over a draw that felt every bit as crushing as a one-point defeat.

Publicly, Pádraic Joyce expressed delight with the performance and frustration at how it panned out at the death. He argued that his players had got “maybe 92 or 93 per cent right” – but they hadn’t killed the game. “Disappointing,” he concluded, “but we’ll just move on.”

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