DANIEL MOYNIHAN MADE a bold statement in his interview for the Galway senior ladies football job.
“I don’t know was it cocky or was it just seeing faith, but I said that in year three we’ll win the All-Ireland. And I said if we don’t win the All-Ireland, I’ve failed. That probably put a little bit of pressure on myself.”
Moynihan shared that snippet of info as an All-Ireland senior winning manager, at the end of his third season in charge. Mission accomplished.
It’s all sinking in as he sits in the press conference room in the bowels of the Hogan Stand, Galway having edged Kerry in a highly-dramatic endgame to win their first All-Ireland senior title since 2004 – and just second ever.
Following decider defeats in 2005, 2019 and 2024, the Tribe finally got their hands on the Brendan Martin Cup once more.
Galway have long had one of the best panels in the country on paper – backboned by five in a row club All-Ireland winners Kilkerrin-Clonberne – but there’s a feeling in some quarters that they hadn’t lived up to their potential.
Naturally, much was made of the 2024 final in the build-up to this one, when Moynihan’s side were swatted aside by the Kingdom in his first year in charge.
Dublin All-Ireland winner Hannah Tyrrell told RTÉ Galway had yet to show their “mettle” in a final midweek, while Mick Bohan made similar comments on an LGFA podcast.
“I think a lot of the commentary around Galway this week has been a little bit disappointing if I’m honest. I think we’ve built a team, and it hasn’t been the case that this team has been together for the last 10 years and have failed and crumbled. I think we’ve been building for these three years.
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“We’ve had a choppy, situation in Galway with managers, and we finally got a settled group along with a settled management and this was kind of building blocks for us, getting to year three. I think we’ve shown mettle in other games. I think once one person throws out their narrative of, ‘Jesus, are they’re mentally weak?’ other people just jump on that as well and it adds to it and I felt that was the case this week in particular.
“But I think what you’ve seen out there today is that we’re capable of getting over the line and sometimes it’s about that first one for a group of players and once you break down that wall it becomes a little bit easier. I think the group as a whole wasn’t showing any nervousness leading into this game. There was no apprehension about playing Kerry. There was no kind of negativity around, ‘Oh, it’s Croke Park’. They were hugely confident going into this game.”
“I was asked is it a revenge thing over two years ago? It’s not that aspect either,” Moynihan, who previously steered his native county to All-Ireland minor titles, continued.
“I think it’s two teams that I suppose are much changed from two years ago. Obviously Kerry have a huge pedigree in ladies football as well, going for number 13. So to be able to stop a team like that is definitely a fantastic thing.
“I don’t think the expectation in year one was that we were going to win it at the start, but all of a sudden we found ourselves in a final, which was fantastic. But I think it just led us down this road again.
“Sometimes defeats have meaning behind them and it took that time to get to it. We got there and I think that there’s more in this team. They’re capable of doing more. They’re capable of pushing on from here, if they want to do it. And if they do, fantastic.”
With a good age profile in the squad and seven Kilkerrin-Clonberne stars featuring – and 11 on the panel – it’s certainly possible.
While Corofin’s Leanne Coen was the two-goal hero, Kilkerrin’s Eva Noone scored what proved to the match-winner.
She’s among three sets of sisters from the club heavyweights, with Hannah and Lynsey her siblings – and Nicola and Louise Ward, and Olivia, Siobhan and Niamh Divilly the others.
“They’re an absolute monster as regards club teams,” Moynihan acknowledged. “Their experience shines through on days like this.
“I suppose a lot of the narrative has been how come Galway haven’t got there with Kilkerrin-Clonberne going so well over the years. I think that’s something that would have grinded their gears a little bit, but they’re delighted to get over it.
“But you can’t beat that level of experience and that big match mentality and we saw that in spades from the players out there.”
Eva Noone (13) celebrates after the game. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
Moynihan also had a separate word for Eva Noone, who has been at the centre of a storm in recent months.
In May, Noone issued a statement denying an allegation of racial abuse in a Connacht club championship match against Westport last November. Having originally been hit with a six-month suspension, it was appealed and reduced to 16 weeks and a €200, before all was quashed by the DRA.
“Back when that happened, some of the narrative was really disappointing. And that’s nothing in relation to the other person involved. I felt it was, at times, quite nasty towards that individual,” said Moynihan.
“Eva had a tough time mentally, and yet she still managed to come out on the football field and train with this hanging over her head. And it’s not just football, it’s private life, it’s professionally as her trying to become a teacher. That took on a huge level of stress.
“At times, I don’t think media looked at both sides of it. The media just chased the one side of it. You have to be a little more balanced about it.
“She had such a tough year. She worked so hard. I don’t know how she did it. I really don’t, because other people would have crumbled. From that perspective, I’m really proud of her.
“She’s a great individual, she’s tigerish, she works so, so hard on the football field. She’s a genuinely good person and we’re delighted that she was a part of this team today and that she got her just reward, which was an All-Ireland title, which was the big thing for her.”
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'The commentary around Galway has been a little bit disappointing. We've shown mettle'
DANIEL MOYNIHAN MADE a bold statement in his interview for the Galway senior ladies football job.
“I don’t know was it cocky or was it just seeing faith, but I said that in year three we’ll win the All-Ireland. And I said if we don’t win the All-Ireland, I’ve failed. That probably put a little bit of pressure on myself.”
Moynihan shared that snippet of info as an All-Ireland senior winning manager, at the end of his third season in charge. Mission accomplished.
It’s all sinking in as he sits in the press conference room in the bowels of the Hogan Stand, Galway having edged Kerry in a highly-dramatic endgame to win their first All-Ireland senior title since 2004 – and just second ever.
Following decider defeats in 2005, 2019 and 2024, the Tribe finally got their hands on the Brendan Martin Cup once more.
Galway have long had one of the best panels in the country on paper – backboned by five in a row club All-Ireland winners Kilkerrin-Clonberne – but there’s a feeling in some quarters that they hadn’t lived up to their potential.
Naturally, much was made of the 2024 final in the build-up to this one, when Moynihan’s side were swatted aside by the Kingdom in his first year in charge.
Dublin All-Ireland winner Hannah Tyrrell told RTÉ Galway had yet to show their “mettle” in a final midweek, while Mick Bohan made similar comments on an LGFA podcast.
“I think a lot of the commentary around Galway this week has been a little bit disappointing if I’m honest. I think we’ve built a team, and it hasn’t been the case that this team has been together for the last 10 years and have failed and crumbled. I think we’ve been building for these three years.
“We’ve had a choppy, situation in Galway with managers, and we finally got a settled group along with a settled management and this was kind of building blocks for us, getting to year three. I think we’ve shown mettle in other games. I think once one person throws out their narrative of, ‘Jesus, are they’re mentally weak?’ other people just jump on that as well and it adds to it and I felt that was the case this week in particular.
“But I think what you’ve seen out there today is that we’re capable of getting over the line and sometimes it’s about that first one for a group of players and once you break down that wall it becomes a little bit easier. I think the group as a whole wasn’t showing any nervousness leading into this game. There was no apprehension about playing Kerry. There was no kind of negativity around, ‘Oh, it’s Croke Park’. They were hugely confident going into this game.”
With the controversial ending and “rub of the green” addressed at the outset, further reflections on the journey come thick and fast.
“I was asked is it a revenge thing over two years ago? It’s not that aspect either,” Moynihan, who previously steered his native county to All-Ireland minor titles, continued.
“I think it’s two teams that I suppose are much changed from two years ago. Obviously Kerry have a huge pedigree in ladies football as well, going for number 13. So to be able to stop a team like that is definitely a fantastic thing.
“I don’t think the expectation in year one was that we were going to win it at the start, but all of a sudden we found ourselves in a final, which was fantastic. But I think it just led us down this road again.
“Sometimes defeats have meaning behind them and it took that time to get to it. We got there and I think that there’s more in this team. They’re capable of doing more. They’re capable of pushing on from here, if they want to do it. And if they do, fantastic.”
With a good age profile in the squad and seven Kilkerrin-Clonberne stars featuring – and 11 on the panel – it’s certainly possible.
While Corofin’s Leanne Coen was the two-goal hero, Kilkerrin’s Eva Noone scored what proved to the match-winner.
She’s among three sets of sisters from the club heavyweights, with Hannah and Lynsey her siblings – and Nicola and Louise Ward, and Olivia, Siobhan and Niamh Divilly the others.
“They’re an absolute monster as regards club teams,” Moynihan acknowledged. “Their experience shines through on days like this.
“I suppose a lot of the narrative has been how come Galway haven’t got there with Kilkerrin-Clonberne going so well over the years. I think that’s something that would have grinded their gears a little bit, but they’re delighted to get over it.
“But you can’t beat that level of experience and that big match mentality and we saw that in spades from the players out there.”
Moynihan also had a separate word for Eva Noone, who has been at the centre of a storm in recent months.
In May, Noone issued a statement denying an allegation of racial abuse in a Connacht club championship match against Westport last November. Having originally been hit with a six-month suspension, it was appealed and reduced to 16 weeks and a €200, before all was quashed by the DRA.
“Back when that happened, some of the narrative was really disappointing. And that’s nothing in relation to the other person involved. I felt it was, at times, quite nasty towards that individual,” said Moynihan.
“Eva had a tough time mentally, and yet she still managed to come out on the football field and train with this hanging over her head. And it’s not just football, it’s private life, it’s professionally as her trying to become a teacher. That took on a huge level of stress.
“At times, I don’t think media looked at both sides of it. The media just chased the one side of it. You have to be a little more balanced about it.
“She had such a tough year. She worked so hard. I don’t know how she did it. I really don’t, because other people would have crumbled. From that perspective, I’m really proud of her.
“She’s a great individual, she’s tigerish, she works so, so hard on the football field. She’s a genuinely good person and we’re delighted that she was a part of this team today and that she got her just reward, which was an All-Ireland title, which was the big thing for her.”
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