NO SOONER HAD Shane Walsh emerged from the victorious Galway dressing room on Sunday and his eyes were fixed on bigger targets.

Walsh’s tally of 1-6 played a major role in Galway’s Connacht final victory but Walsh was well aware that greater tests lie ahead. 

Minutes earlier, Padraic Joyce stood in front of the press corps and challenged his star forward to reproduce his form on the big stage as Galway head for Croke Park. 

The Galway manager is a straight shooter.

When he took charge, Joyce had no hesitation in declaring his aim was to lift the Sam Maguire. Some may have scoffed at the suggestion, even more so when they fell to Mayo in the past two seasons and dropped down to Division 2. 

Walsh shares a similar level of ambition. 

“The next four weeks, we are going to be going hard at it to try and perform again because that’s what it’s all about, it’s to climb the steps of the Hogan on 24 July,” he said. 

“It’s the aim for every team that’s starting off at the start of the year. Obviously for us, we’ve a quarter-final now. The aim today  was to take this game, it’s going to be the same now we’ve an All-Ireland quarter-final coming up.

“That’s what we’re going after. There’s no All-Ireland final without the quarter-final or semi-final. We won the Connacht final today, it’s a platform into the All-Ireland series now. We just have to keep working on ourselves and keep pushing it on. Look, if we win the quarter-final we’ll talk after that then again.”

The importance of avoiding a third straight loss to Roscommon in 2022 and fourth successive Connacht final defeat was on the minds of the players, admitted Walsh. 

“Motivation was high. Obviously, we played Roscommon twice earlier in the year as well. We had our homework done on what they did well. Obviously, we want to try and concentrate on what we do well as well and bring that to the fore. It’s days like today that you want to do that.

“Championship is where it’s at again. We accomplished our goal in getting to Division 1 again this year, that was the main objective at the start of the year and we ticked that box. It was disappointing to lose the league final.

“Padraic said at the start of the year that we’re probably going to have to play Roscommon three times this year. So he said this is the one to catch them on and thankfully we did that. 

“Our focus really was just on going out and performing. There was a Connacht title to be won, it’s nothing to turn your nose at and we didn’t. We were fully prepared for it, fully motivated and we accomplished it today.

“The elation there in the dressing-room speaks for itself. It was great just to come into the dressing-room and see smiles on everyone’s faces. A lot of it is probably the relief there that we got over the line.

“In fairness to everyone, they all felt the pain of last year, the last two years really. Especially to get relegated (from Division 1) and games we kind of kicked away ourselves.”

He was swamped by supporters at the full-time whistle. As a result he was the final Tribe player to return to the sanctity of the dressing room after the game.

With Joyce keen to speak to all his players, coach John Divilly was sent back out to bring in their talisman. 

“I think that’s definitely the sweetest of the lot, especially to win in front of our home supporters. It was something Padraic brought up a couple of weeks ago in training that we hadn’t won one in Galway since 2005 I think was the last time. It was just huge for the group as well. There was some lads in there with no Connacht medals.” 

He is feeling the benefits of an injury-free run after being hampered during the league. 

“I picked up a niggle during the National League. I was very well looked after here. In fairness to the guys, they all put the work into me. By putting in the extra bit over the last couple of weeks.

“I might have been flagging a bit in training, but in fairness it stood to me. The credit really goes to everyone in the dressing-room. I mightn’t be putting in the tackles that some lads do, and they are just giving me the chance to kick the ball over the bar. I’m grateful to be there, I’ll do that part of my job. It’s a one to forty job inside.”