Galway manager Michéal Donoghue pointed to John McGrath’s 63rd minute goal as the crucial score of this afternoon’s All-Ireland semi-final contest, writes Eoghan Cormican.

McGrath’s effort arrived three minutes after John O’Dwyer had pounced for Tipperary’s opening goal and while Donoghue felt that Galway recovered from the concession of O’Dwyer’s strike, a second blow so soon after proved fatal.

“We responded well when Bubbles got the goal. Yes, it was a great finish, but the lads got two scores to bring it back level. When John McGrath scored, it was harder to come back,” said Donoghue.

“I am really proud of the effort they put in. We lost two big players in Adrian Tuohy and Joe.

“That was a big loss for us. In fairness to the lads that came in, they put in a huge effort and I’m very proud of them.

“The chat coming into the game was that it was going to be a shoot-out. From a manager’s perspective, and I am sure Mick was the same, you didn’t want it turning out that way.

“Inevitably, it did. The game ebbed and flowed. We are just bitterly disappointed we didn’t get something out of it.

“Joe got the goal at the start of the second-half, I just felt if we got a few more points just to push it out a bit that if might have given us a bit of time to settle, but the way the game was going, it was just going up and down.”