Pádraic Joyce thrilled by Galway game management against Donegal

Pádraic Joyce heaped praise on his Galway players for the way in which they managed the game on the way to beating Donegal at a windy Salthill in Sunday's Allianz Football League Division 1 clash.

The Tribesmen ran out seven-point winners despite playing two periods with just 13 men, with their shot selection particularly pleasing Joyce.

"Overall, we'd be very happy to win the game firstly," he told RTÉ Sport.

"I think we managed the game really well in the first half alone as well. Our first four scores of the game were two-pointers and the lads tackled really, really hard, didn't allow Donegal any time on the ball.

"They pressed them really hard, won the ball back and took a lot of good options in the first half which, while the gale force wind is there you'll be saying, 'We'll hit this and do that'.

"But the lads worked the ball in really well into scoreable positions and when you're missing John Daly, Paul Conroy, there will always be a question mark in your head what the lads will do. But to a man, they stood up really well today."

The Galway manager added that Daly missed the game due to a knock on the knee last week but is "okay", while Conroy had been sidelined by flu and Damien Comer is training and "hopefully will see a bit of action before the league is over".

On the red card shown to Matthew Tierney just before the interval for a high challenge on Hugh McFadden, Joyce said he was a front-line witness to the incident.

"I saw it. It happened right in front me. Obviously Mattie came in to hit a shoulder on Hugh but his head ducked down and was there contact? Probably a little bit," he said.

"Was it an unfortunate red card? I'd say yes. Donegal on the sideline were roaring for a red card which they got. We'll look at it