We were ready to bag Cats, says Hayes
Galway manager Conor Hayes admitted his side "were a bit more prepared for" Kilkenny after edging the Cats in a stunning All-Ireland SHC semi-final yesterday.
Hayes, an All-Ireland winning captain as a player, hardly watched the final 10 minutes of the Tribesmen's action-packed 5-18 to 4-18 win.
Yet he hailed his side's preparation, citing previous wins over Limerick and Tipperary as "the stepping stones" for their clawing of the Cats.
"It was an enthralling, open game," agreed Hayes, as if he needed to tell the 39,975 spellbound spectators at Croke Park yesterday.
"In the end the bit of heart brought us out on top. I thought before half-time we were in control of the game but we never really put them away.
"We were saying that if we could stop the goals against Kilkenny we could be successful. We didn't stop the goals and made it that bit harder on ourselves.
"But we were still getting possession, we were still hurling the ball all the time and that's what we were doing against Tipperary as well."
Yesterday's win sent Galway through to a final clash with champions Cork, and marked a massive turnaround from the 1-10 to 4-20 hammering the Tribesmen suffered at the hands of Kilkenny in last year's qualifiers.
"We set aside the defeat of last year but we still looked at it at times during the year," added Hayes.
"But I felt our preparation for this game was very good. We had two tough games against Limerick and Tipperary - they were the stepping stones for today.
"Kilkenny didn't hurl that much different from last year but we were just that bit more prepared for them this time."
