Galway manager Pádraic Joyce very satisfied with Dublin win while already eyeing semi-finals
Galway manager Pádraic Joyce was delighted with the manner in which his side came from behind to defeat the All-Ireland champions at Croke Park.
Trailing by four points at half-time, Galway fought their way back into the game to restore parity before pushing ahead in the latter stages to secure a one-point victory to progress to the All-Ireland semi-finals.
Joyce said that his side brought the belief into the contest, but were then urged to disrupt the Dublin kick-outs after the break, which proved decisive as they limited Dessie Farrell's side to a meagre five points in the second half.
Galway outscored their opponents after the break, doubling the Dublin tally, and despite missing a late chance to move three points clear, they limited the champions to a solitary score during the five additional minutes at the end of the game to hold on for the 0-17 to 0-16 victory.
"We always felt that we had a great chance; it was a super, super performance from the lads," said Joyce, speaking to RTE Sport after the game.
"Obviously at half-time we were four points down but after half-time we pressed the kick-out a little more and the lads showed fantastic energy."
Joyce acknowledged that the victory meant little in the grander scheme of things if Galway do not go on to secure the title, while admitting that he expected Dublin to take the game to extra time.
But in the end, he was thrilled that his side held out and took time to heap praise on his defensive unit who saw the game out to secure the famous victory.
"There’s always a question mark over Galway, I get that, and it will remain until we win an All-Ireland, it’s as simple as that," said Joyce.
"We have nothing won today but it was very satisfying to win that game, and the manner of how