Joyce: 'We have no one to blame but ourselves'

'ONLY OURSELVES TO BLAME': Galway manager Padraic Joyce is disappointed his side are out of the championship after losing to Mayo in a tense affair in Pearse Stadium. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

For much of 2023, they were the popular pick for All-Ireland favourites. On Sunday Galway became the first big side to exit the championship at the preliminary quarter-final stage.

A disappointing outcome for Pádraic Joyce and a self-inflicted one.

“We have no one to blame but ourselves. We just left too many chances behind us but hats off to Mayo they got a couple of scores there at the end to finish things off and we just couldn’t finish the game out.

“I think we had seven scores from 18 shots in open play which tells the story from our side. Look, the lads put in a massive effort. They are great lads and they have taken the county a long way last year and this year. It is disappointing today and it is just very hard to stomach.” 

Damien Comer was lively in the opening half, but his hamstring tightened up before half-time. He was replaced by Ian Burke for the second half while Dylan McHugh was unable to make the squad with Neil Mulcahy coming into the 26.

“The injury that took Damien off the pitch was not the winning or losing of the game,” stressed Joyce. Galway had 27 shots versus 20 for Mayo. They missed four frees from inside the 45. Two goal chances were fired straight at Colm Reape.

“We still had loads of chances in the second half. We had a great goal chance and we had a couple of wild shots at goal which we should have been tapping over the bar. Look, 12 points won’t win too many games for you. Our defence was good again, our structure was very good… It is another year gone by again for Galway.” 

Before the start Joyce made one late change, with Sean Fitzgerald coming in for his first championship start in place of Ian Burke. The defender took Aidan O’Shea with a visibly hindered Seán Kelly operating further out the field.

“Sean Fitz, Cian Hernon, Johnny McGrath had a fantastic season for us. Jack Glynn. Young lads, they were really good today. It definitely wasn’t their fault we lost the game today. That is for sure.” 

Playing with a stiff breeze, Galway led 0-8 to 0-3 at the break.

“We went out and said we would try and add on another score or two and instead we turned the ball over three times in their first three attacks and they got three scores to get them back to within two points.

“The goal, the full-back up the pitch and no one laid a hand on him for 50, 60 yards, that is totally against our grain doing that and it was very hard to recover from.” 

Last Sunday morning, they arrived in Carrick-on-Shannon as Connacht champions and the only side in the championship with a 100% record. Seven days later their year is done.

“We’ve no one to blame but ourselves,” said Joyce bluntly. “We didn’t win the game last week or draw the game. We just have to accept it and move on from it. That is all we can do.”