All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship final: Galway 0-26 Waterford 2-17
BEFORE yesterday, Galway’s players only knew how it felt to lose All-Ireland finals and Waterford know that empty feeling now.
Twenty-nine years punctuated by near misses and disappointment came to an end when the Tribesmen clinched a deserved win over a dogged Waterford side that lived off scraps to stay in touch in the first half and briefly got their noses in front in second.
However, the strength-in-depth of the Connacht men got them over the line and now the Tribesmen can sing songs of victory and forget the sorrowful laments about the ones that got away.
“It’s an absolutely unbelievable feeling,” said manager Micheal Donoghue.
“The preparation couldn’t have better for us. I’m in a privileged position here to be the manager and it would be remiss of me not to mention all the previous managers who have been there to nurture these players and also the players who have represented Galway since 1988.
“It has been a huge collective effort and the squad we have now have taken huge ownership of this. They have been questioned and doubted, even in the build-up to this game there were references that they were chokers but we knew coming up here that we were in with a serious chance.
“We had a few setbacks in the first half but the character and unity showed in abundance today.”
Galway had nine scorers yesterday and between them they landed 26 points with only six wides. Once again, a goal eluded them, but that didn’t matter in the end.
“Out the field we’re well capable of taking scores,” said Donoghue.
“The big thing for me was the leadership and character these boys showed in the second half when the game was there to be won. The desire they showed… I can’t speak highly enough of them and today they got their reward.”
Meanwhile, Waterford manager Derek McGrath looked like a man whose dreams had been shattered. Of course they had been.
“I’m hugely disappointed but the over-riding emotion is one of pride in our lads,” he said.
“There was no capitulation, there was no sense of throwing in the towel and the resilience shown was incredible. I’m very proud of the lads, I’ve never been as proud of them.”
He added: “Galway have the Walsh Cup, the National League, the epic encounter against Tipperary and they have been brilliantly prepared by Micheal.
“They way he’s done it, the criticism he’s had to take in year one and the way he has done it with his own stamp on it…”
Galway had lost three finals (including a replay) but somehow found the resilience to bounce back and they got their reward yesterday.
With defeat so fresh and emotions still raw, McGrath didn’t seem convinced that Waterford could do the same, but it’s early days for the De La Salle clubman.
“It’s so hard to get back here, you have to take the chance,” he said.
“You’d thinking that other teams would come to the table. Brian Cody came into our dressingroom when we lost to Kilkenny in the 2015 semi-final and he said, in a completely non-patronising way: ‘It’s so hard to get back here, it’s so hard…’
“Expectations are that we will improve, but I just don’t know.”
McGrath has been at the helm of his native Deise for four seasons now. He said he hadn’t given his future any thought while there will be speculation over long-serving forwards Michael ‘Brick’ Walsh and Kevin Moran. They combined for their county’s first goal but couldn’t get them over the line.
“Michael is the best team player that’s ever played for Waterford,” he said.
“Simple as, there’s no debate that’s what he is. His humility and his crankiness at times… He’s just different gravy; he’s just a brilliant man.”
