Conor Cooney spoke about the range of emotions he went through when Galway finally claimed the Liam McCarthy Cup after 29 years of pain.
The Tribesmen beat Waterford by 0-26 to 2-17 at Croke Park in the All-Ireland final and speaking to Off the Ball's Oisin Langan after winning the Price Waterhouse Cooper’s GAA/GPA Player of the Month Award for July, he said: "I suppose relief was one of the big emotions we felt.
"Maybe looking around afterwards if it had slipped us by would we ever win one so that was a huge part of it and sheer joy when the final whistle goes - it was just incredible.
Galway captain David Burke and Joe Canning show the Liam McCarthy Cup to the crowd in Ballinasloe. Image: ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy
"You don't know how you feel and I suppose it really hits home when you see your family and you go home and you see the supporters and you don't actually realise how much it actually means to people until you actually meet a few people.
"I met a couple of people there and I think they were 89/90 years of age and the two of them had tears in their eyes and it means so much to people and it really hits home. You're, I suppose, in a cocoon and don't realise it so I think that was a big part.
"There was a bit of redemption - two of them slipped us by in '12 and '15 and there was still a good chunk of the team there. We knew setting out that there was an All-Ireland in this team. We had been so close to Tipp last year and they had gone on to win it.
"We'd been knocking on the door for a long time and I suppose we took real confidence from that in a way and we knew if we got things right and maybe got the rub of the green on a couple of things that could go our way - I suppose we took confidence from that."
Conor Cooney was speaking at Price Waterhouse Cooper’s offices in Dublin having picked up the PwC GAA/GPA Player of the Month Award for July.
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