Galway manager Michéal Donoghue praised match-winner Joe Canning after his incredible late point in the All-Ireland semi-final over Tipperary at Croke Park.
With the game tied deep into stoppage time at 0-21 to 1-18 the ball fell to Canning out on the sideline under the Cusack Stand just outside the 45-metre line.
Under pressure from the Tipp press and the game on the line he put behind a patchy performance in front of goals to cooly send over the winning point and put the Tribesmen back into the All-Ireland final.
"When you come out of a game like that winning like a point; when he gets a ball like that in that position, in big games big moments are defined by your big players and he really stood up," said Donohue.
Tipp boss Michael Ryan was even able to see through his own disappointment and compliment Canning for doing the business under the toughest circumstances.
"What a fantastic score Joe Canning pulled off," he marvelled. "It was a real heartbreaker and it’s not the first time he’s done it."
The Premier County won the All-Ireland in such fine style last year and they were hell-bent on retaining the Liam MacCarthy Cup for the first time since the sixties, but Canning’s late intervention ended their season at the second last hurdle.
Ryan added: "needless to say we have a very disappointed bunch in there in our dressing room. You put your best out there, do your absolute best, and no one knows how it’s going to turn out - that’s why 65,000 people turn up at Croke Park to watch these games."
Galway haven’t won an All-Ireland since 1988 and they look as well placed as they ever have of bridging that gap, with either Cork or Waterford, who play next Sunday, to follow in the showpiece on Sunday, 3 September.
This may not have been a stone-cold classic, but it was intense, tight and went right down to the wire so Donoghue’s reaction at the final whistle should hardly be a surprise.
"The overriding feeling is relief," he smiled. "From my perspective, you’d be hoping that it didn’t turn into a shootout again like it did the last two years.
"When it turns into that, it’s cat and mouse, up and down the field and you don’t know what’s going to happen. The two teams draw the best out of each other.
"We said at half-time that we were happy enough, we were within touching distance and we pushed the boys to improve on a few areas. We pushed them on work-rate, desire and attitude."
This was high-scoring, but it certainly didn’t turn into a shoot-out and for the most part Galway were the dominant force.
The Munster champion Rebels and the Deise, who took the scalp of Kilkenny in the qualifiers, clash in next Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final at GAA Headquarters, giving Galway an extra week to get themselves set for the Liam MacCarthy decider.
