By Eanna O’Reilly

IN the aftermath of Galway’s defeat to Kilkenny at Croke Park on Sunday, manager Henry Shefflin was struggling to comprehend how his side had fallen to a loss in the manner they did against his native county. The nature of the defeat left the Galway boss understandably shaken, as his side saw the Leinster title cruelly snatched from them with the game’s final puck.

To Shefflin’s credit, he composed himself enough to speak to Galway’s local media at Croke Park, articulating his immense disappointment over the outcome. The pain of the loss was etched all over the Ballyhale man’s face.

‘‘The lads are just devastated in there in the dressing room. It was the cruellest way you could possibly lose a game like that. We had gotten ourselves into such a good position. We had opportunities there in the corner to kill the ball. Look, there isn’t much you can really say at a time like this.’’

‘‘We asked the lads for a performance today that everyone could be proud of. I can certainly say, as a manger, that I am very proud of that performance. The lads got a lot of sucker punches at different stages; they [Kilkenny] hit us for a few goals. We went eight points down and we turned it around with some really great hurling.’’

‘‘The most disappointing thing is that we’re not going home with silverware. I’m not going to come out here and pretend we aren’t devastated today. It’s going to take the lads at least a few days to get over this. Its not easy to think about right now, but we will move on. We’ll get back to training during the week and by the end of the session, the lads will be feeling better.’’

The Galway manger commended his players for displaying tremendous battling qualities, and never doubted their resilience, even after going eight points behind midway through the second half.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.

Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App

Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.

Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.

Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite  HERE.

Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.