Spirited Performance No Consolation

Date Published: 14-Aug-2008

WELL that’s it for another year. Galway fought the good fight, got embroiled in a thrilling shoot-out and came up just short against the reigning All-Ireland champions, who were intent on achieving their third All-Ireland crown on the trot.

Galway gave it their all. You can’t really ask for more than that.

There’s not a team in the country that would have toppled Kerry, in the form they were in on Saturday, yet this fact offered little comfort to the dejected Galway players and management team who had set the ambitious target of bringing Sam across the Shannon this year.

Disappointment was the over-riding mood in the Galway dressing room afterwards and the dejection evident on Niall Coyne’s face as he spoke to Tribune Sport in the tunnel after the game summed up the pain of defeat being felt by the entire panel.

“Yea, it’s very disappointing all right,” said the Carna/Cashel clubman who performed well when he was switched to mark Kerry’s corner forward Tommy Walsh who had caused havoc in the opening quarter.

“They had us on the rack a bit there towards the end. It shows what a good team they are, we were doing well when Bergin got the goal but they came back at us. It shows…