'We never found our rhythm'
Galway manager Micheál Donoghue says his team came up well short against an "outstanding" Limerick team in the All-Ireland hurling final, but is hopeful the experience will stand to his youthful side long-term.
The Tribesmen entered the showpiece as underdogs against a Treaty side bidding for a sixth Celtic Cross in nine years, but the high-scoring displays against Dublin and Cork gave grounds for Galway optimism.
John Kiely's side however played like a team on a mission right from the moment referee Colm Lyons threw the ball in at Croke Park, dominating the opening 35 points, yet only ahead by five points on the scoreboard.
Upon the resumption they simply kicked on, with the likes of Will O'Donoghue, Kyle Hayes, Adam English, Patrick English, Gearóid Hegarty, Cathal O’Neill and Aaron Gillane to the fore, the Tribes’ uphill task compounded by the dismissal of Ronan Glennon.
Conor Cooney’s late penalty put a better gloss on the scoreline, but even the 11-point margin failed to do justice to the gulf between the sides on the day, something Donoghue acknowledged after the match.
"You have to give full credit to Limerick, to John Kiely, his backroom team and of course the players, they were outstanding today," he told RTÉ Radio 1's Sunday Sport.
"In the build-up we were analysing them, but their performance today was superior to everything they had this year.
"I don’t think we got into our rhythm or flow, and that is credit to Limerick. I thought in the first quarter we were touch and go, maybe left a few scores behind us, but in equal measure, when they (Limerick) reflect back, they’ll think they had the two or three goal chances.
"Every time we did something, they responded straight away."
Few would have predicted at the start of the season that Galway would end it as Leinster champions and All-Ireland finalists, dismantling Cork along the way, so Donoghue remains philosophical in defeat.
"They will (bounce back)," he said. "I said it after each of the last two games, for the younger cohort of the squad, it’s important that they go through big, meaningful games.
"Some of the experiences and memories won’t be brilliant, but when the dust settles, they will learn from the experience and hopefully it will stand them in good stead."
