Kevin Walsh said "this game was never going to define our season" after his Galway team edged out Mayo in a Connacht SFC semi-final battle on Sunday.
The Tribemsen withstood a rousing recovery from Mayo - who lost Keith Higgins in the 26th minute to a red card - to squeeze in to the provincial decider with a 0-15 to 1-11 win.
Walsh took most heart from the steel and grit his men showed in a blustery Pearse Park, and said their summer is all bout hitting targets.
"I thought we really started off well," Walsh told RTÉ Sport.
"We got three early points and we needed them, with the breeze.
"All of a sudden we got hit with a sucker-punch when the ball came off the post and it just didn't bounce the right way. We ended up having to really, really scramble to half-time.
"That's one thing we're looking for, that this team can learn how to eke out results. It was tough out there.
"Resilience is what we're trying to build in the team and they showed some of that today.
"This is not about having to beat Mayo at all costs. This game was never going to define our season. This time last year it would have. All the eggs were in one basket last year. We've set targets for ourselves and this was another game along the way to our target."
'This game was never going to define our season' #RTEgaa pic.twitter.com/2GeTIev6FQ
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) June 11, 2017
