Galway's Pádraic Mannion claims there was not a lot he could have done to avoid the scenes that took place in the Senior Leinster Hurling final against Kilkenny last Sunday.
Galway were about to win the Bob O'Keeffe Cup, but during the sixth minute of added time, Mannion's loose kick changed matters for Galway
Galway were leading 3-21 to 2-26 , but Mannion, without a hurl, kicked the ball into the hands of Kilkenny's Cillian Buckley. Buckley kept his composure and found the net to seal a 75th Leinster title for Kilkenny.
Days have passed since the heartbreaking loss, and Mannion, the 2018 Hurler of the Year, has had time to reflect on his role in the loss.
"I don't know if I recovered or not, but yeah, very disappointing," Mannion told RTÉ Sport on Tuesday. "We were so close. We clawed it back very well.
"That's hurling, that's sport. And especially when you're playing Kilkenny, they're renowned for always being in the game. That's the way it goes.
"I connected well with it, but the placement of it wasn't great, straight into Cillian Buckley's hand.
"I had no hurl. Even looking back, I don't know if I had any other option really. He had positioned himself there and yeah... straight into his hand.
Cillian Buckley will never have to buy a pint again in his life!
What a way to win a Leinster final 🤯pic.twitter.com/lNUsNuRR7U— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) June 11, 2023
Despite the loss, Mannion believes that Galway showed enough fighting spirit to win the game, and that same spirit will be needed going forward in this year's Championship.
"Straight after, everyone was very, very disappointed. When you're in that position and the chance of getting silverware and getting straight into the semi-finals, it's a great opportunity," added the 30-year-old. "Obviously, we're going to be very disappointed. But we've shown great resilience so far, and it's not going to change from now on.
"Such small margins. I know it came down to the last ball. But there are other little things that happened in the game that you'd be thinking, 'oh if we did this or this or if this didn't happen'... You're just trying to look at it back and pick small bits (out) here or there and try to improve."
Galway's next game will likely be against Tipperary if they overcome Joe McDonagh Cup finalists Offaly in Tullamore next weekend.
That game takes place on Saturday. Throw-in is at 4pm.
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