McIntyre: I’m proud of my players

JOHN McINTYRE is an eloquent man, even at the worst of times.

And in the course of a career as manager of both Offaly and Galway, he’s had more than his share of those.

Saturday, however, was most certainly not one of those occasions, as his current Connacht charges dug out a win over the team he guided on two separate occasions.

He said of Offaly: “You’ve got to give that team enormous credit, down to 14 players and to dig out a result is a great tribute to them.

“Offaly had momentum and huge support behind them. They were asking serious questions of us but we didn’t falter, and we hung in there. They died with their boots on this evening, the Galway players.

“We’ve put an awful lot of work into this season but with five minutes to go it was all hanging in the balance. That’s a tribute to the way Offaly played, a stirring comeback.

“Cleary, Offaly hurling has turned a corner and as a former manager of theirs I’m thrilled for them. My job now is with Galway, and we dug very deep this evening.

“I thought the ref was harsh on us, maybe my words last weekend came back to haunt me, I don’t know.

“I’ll have to look at the dismissal (of midfielder David Burke, straight red). I thought he was extremely unfortunate. But the yellow cards were flying (five issued, in total) – I just wonder if legislators and referees and disciplinary bodies are being too hard on hurlers nowadays. Players are being penalised for their commitment, going in hard just trying to win the ball. They’re only doing what they’re being told to do, obviously there’s a major clampdown, but hurling is suffering, notwithstanding that Saturday night’s game was another thriller.”

And a thriller it was, setting up a very juicy Leinster final against Kilkenny.

“We’re first in the queue to dethrone the All-Ireland champions. It’s a massive challenge for the team management and the players, but one we’re going to embrace.

“This is where we want to be, in big stadiums, playing big matches in front of big crowds. I would appeal to any Galway sportsperson, man, woman or child, with any sporting marrow in their bones, whether they’re a rugby fan, Gaelic football fan, soccer fan, basketball fan, table-tennis or tiddlywinks – come to Croke Park on Sunday and get behind this Galway hurling team.

“They gave it everything this evening, even when things looked bad they didn’t wilt, didn’t die – I’m very proud of them.”

Equally proud was the equally eloquent Offaly manager, Joe Dooley. He said: “It was a great game of hurling, great to be part of it, though obviously we’d love to have won it. Fair play to Galway they got out of the blocks quicker again today, and you’d have to say they are deserving winners. If only slightly so. We could have stolen it. I’m very, very proud of the lads, they really have put pride back in the Offaly jersey. The main thing now is to keep that momentum going.

“It really would have been a big letdown if we hadn’t performed after last week, and it’s very gratifying that we were able to do that again against a team of the quality of Galway. This was a great advertisement for hurling.”

For Offaly now, the qualifiers. “There are only two teams not going into the qualifiers, the two provincial champions, so we’re in the same position as Clare, Limerick, Dublin and those other teams. We’ll regroup and get back to the drawing board.”