Pádraic Joyce made no attempt to hide his disappointment after Galway were reeled in by Armagh.

The Tribesmen had to settle for a 1-12 to 0-15 draw after surrendering a five-point lead with 13 minutes to go at Markievicz Park. The result saw Armagh qualify directly for the All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals as group winners, while Galway face a quick turnaround to a home preliminary quarter-final next weekend.

“You’d like to avoid it, but we’re at a stage where we can’t. I think our panel is probably big enough and developed enough to deal with three games in-a-row. Look, we’ll be fine,” Joyce told reporters.

“It is a bit disappointing that we didn't get the result we needed. Second year in-a-row, score difference killed us.

“Look, it is what it is. The lads played really well overall. They did a lot of stuff right. Just didn't finish the job at the end with a clinical score. Look at the top teams, when they are five or four up you have to go to six or seven. Just kill the game, which we didn't do.

“Fair play to Armagh. They are a good side. We know that. They are unbeaten in football bar penalties the last couple of years. We just left them in the game and they fought the way they always do.”

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