'I think it was an unfortunate red card' - Joyce on Galway's sending off

Galway manager Pádraic Joyce offered a measured response to Matthew Tierney’s first-half red card following his team’s 0-21 to 0-14 victory over Donegal at Pearse Stadium. 

Despite finishing the game with just 13 men, Joyce was full of praise for his side’s resilience and their tactical discipline, particularly in a dominant first-half display. 

"I saw it, it was right in front of me, so I saw it," Joyce said, reflecting on the red card incident, where Tierney’s challenge on Hugh McFadden led to the sending off.  

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"Obviously, Mattie came in to hit a shoulder on Hugh but his head ducked down. Was there contact with it? Probably a little bit. Was it an unfortunate red card? I’d say yes." 

Although the decision sparked some debate, Joyce sympathised with Tierney.  

"Mattie’s not a dirty player but I do understand the duty of care – it’s in rugby, I think it’s duty of care for head injuries and making contact with the head, I get all that," he explained.  

"But again, Mattie’s distraught there because he didn’t go in with the intention of causing damage to anyone’s head." 

Despite the setback, Joyce's team showed excellent control of the game, particularly in the first half when they took full advantage of a gale-force wind.  

Galway established a commanding 0-17 to 0-1 lead by the break, with Shane Walsh playing a starring role, scoring seven two-pointers. 

"Overall, you’d be very happy to win the game firstly. I think we managed the game really well in the first half alone," Joyce said.  

"The lads tackled really, really hard; didn’t allow Donegal any time on the ball, pressured them really hard, won the ball back, and took a lot of good options in the first half." 

Even with key players like John Daly and Paul Conroy unavailable due to injury and illness, Galway adapted well to the conditions, and Joyce highlighted the contribution of those stepping in.  

"We threw Matthew Thompson in today, got Seán Mulkerrin on the pitch as well, Jack Glynn. To a man, they all contributed something today, which is great." 

Despite the absence of these key figures, Joyce was pleased with how his side responded, especially in the second half when Donegal mounted a slight comeback.  

"I just thought we controlled the game really, really well," he said. "We were 16 points up at half-time … nowadays you’re not wondering is it enough, we thought we needed it to be 20. It’s a strange thing to be saying!" 

He praised the collective effort, with Shane Walsh finishing with 0-11, and noted the work of defensive players like Liam Silke and John Maher.  

"That’s all you can ask for, to be brave on the ball. We did give the ball away probably seven or eight times, which allowed Donegal to counter and score on the far side. But I just thought the lads put the shoulder to the wheel."