Replying To Ulsterman:  "Joyce and the Galway fans are obviously disappointed but trying to pin defeat on the officials is just poor form and a cop out. Yes the free was probably soft but the Galway keeper should have had a blatant black card and the referee showed some discretion there. Even after the free there was time for Galway to come back yet Kerry showed the poise to see it out. Wise up Galway, this just sounds like sour grapes and deflection."

Replying To Waveitwide:  "1980,1994,1996 and 2007 all Ireland hurling finals,such self belief before you invented the game of hurling in 2018."

Replying To Gleebo:  "Really enjoyed the match yesterday, a superb exhibition of some of the finest skills in the game- superb long distance point taking; high fielding; and clean dispossessions. Shane Walsh was on fire for most of the game (ably assisted by Cillian McDaid) and damn near threatened to win the game on his own. Galway gave it socks and can feel proud of their performance, although defeat will undoubtedly sting for the next few weeks.

The main factors in the winning and losing of the game (for me anyway) were the following:

1. Galway needed Walsh, Comer and Conroy to catch fire in order to win, given that Kerry probably possess a wider spread of scorers in their side. Walsh rose to the occasion but the other two were well-shackled by Kerry's man markers.

2. Goalies are and always have been the most important players in any gaelic football team, the ones who can lose a game in an instant through a lapse of concentration. I played there for many years myself and it always grates to hear that a goalie's most important asset is his kickout, or to hear talk about how vital it is to be disrupting the opposition's kickouts by cutting off space, or to be expected to create overlaps for the attack or kick scores. For me, the essential thing is to be able to mind the house, and while he has a great boot on him, Gleeson is prone to one or two brain farts per game which can be costly, and so it proved yesterday towards the end of the match. The goalie's position has probably been a problem for Galway for the past decade or so, and they won't get over the line unless they solve it. In fairness, Robbie Hennelly had similar tendencies for much of his Mayo career but has come on a lot in the past two seasons, so there's plenty of time for Conor Gleeson to improve this side of his game.

3. A solid defensive set-up is so important today. Both Galway and Kerry have successfully implemented this over the course of the season and conceded few goals as a result. Incoming managers take note!

4. Match ups are also a huge part of the equation. Felt that Kerry generally got theirs right and managed to nullify a lot of Galway's key men, with the exception of Walsh, who was on fire. I always thought Galway would need to do something out-of-the-box to keep D Clifford down to an acceptable total (no one can mark him out of the game, really), as wonderful baller though Seán Kelly is, he's not a grizzly sort of full back you want round the square. Sometimes, you need Francie Bellew.

5. The bench. Kerry got a lot of value from their's, whereas Galway were relying mostly on their first XV. Perhaps this is why they faded in the closing stages, given how intense their counter-attacking game is.

6. The mark. Kerry got great value out of the mark in the first half, given their twin towers of Geaney and Clifford. Galway didn't really have that outlet so much, so had to run the ball a lot, which also might explain why they got tired towards the end.

Next year should be really exciting, given that the Dubs will have Con back, Mayo should have ROD and Tommy Goals, Tyrone will be chomping at the bit, Donegal will have new management, Armagh and Derry will be looking to consolidate their breakthrough seasons, plus the two finalists from yesterday. There isn't a huge amount between most of those sides, so it will be very interesting to see if the Kingdom can successfully defend their crown."

Replying To carlovia:  "Could Kildare make the same argument about Glen Ryan being injured against Galway allowing Fallon the freedom of the pitch ?"

Replying To Gaa Fan:  "Yes it was a fair shoulder and the hit caused the player to bounce off the other player. The call resulted in a score.
On the other call you must ask if the Kerry player was holding the Galway player and the answer is no. Did the Galway player grab, and HOLD ON TO, the Kerry player's arm until the whistle sounded and the answer is yes. Usually this tactic is employed when a player reaches in from behind and at chest or waist level and the opponent clamps the arm with his and falls (usually rolling) to the ground and 99% of the time is awarded a free. Most refs make the easy and incorrect call."

Replying To Waveitwide:  "1980,1994,1996 and 2007 all Ireland hurling finals,such self belief before you invented the game of hurling in 2018."

Replying To StopTheLights:  "That was a free out 99 times out of 100.
Simple as.
It turned the game and the momentum.
No Galwayman begrudges Kerry their victory.
He just said what everyone was thinking."

Replying To Oldtourman:  "No Sir. By '73 we had seven All Irelands, when Galway had a sole one. We were beaten in '80, '94, '96 and '07, by better teams- end of story. Simply said hurling did not start in '40, '80 or 2018.
As regards yesterday, Galway went in as underdogs, but performed very well for fifty minutes and with a few breaks going their way could have won that game. However, as always the better team won."

Replying To howdareu:  "But they still reached a final even though Joyce choose to ignore "the signs"

the goalkeeper is a young lad who is an amateur, is doing his best and I'm sure feels down today like the rest of the galway team.

Can you imagine even for a little while how you would feel if that was your brother/son in goals? 'm sure his parents, siblings, friends etc would not appreciate comments like you have made and neither would you if you were in their shoes.

Show some respect would you and think of others before you type utter trash belitting someone who is doing their best. I'm sure you haven't played or managed in any all Ireland finals so rein it in like a good man."

Replying To baire:  "To be fair they came at him from both sides almost simultaneously and he was lucky not to be seriously concussed. A sandwich tackle like that should not be allowed, it's too dangerous."

Replying To Cockney_Cat:  "But Barry never touched him, he fell into Barry."

Replying To carlovia:  "Could Kildare make the same argument about Glen Ryan being injured against Galway allowing Fallon the freedom of the pitch ?"

Replying To unclegerry:  "Galway will have regrets this morning.. Kerry were on the ropes with the same doubts appearing but in reality 5 out of the 6 Galway forwards had their worst game of the year.. Despite that Galway were still hangin in there in the last 10 but a Kerry win started to look inevitable as Galway were running on fumes.. Great year for Galway but an opportunity missed"

Replying To CiarraiMick:  "Spot on Gleebo"

Replying To Ulsterman:  "Comer not showing up also massively affected Galway. He just didn't have the same energy, drive and fearless attitude yesterday. Maybe it was nerves or maybe Kerry just did a brilliant job on him?"

Replying To Breffni1969:  "I'm not critical of the keeper but am critical of the man who put him there.
He was an accident waiting to happen all year. Joyce made no attempt to fix it .
His short kick out has been chronic all year long for an inter county goalkeeper.
And what does he do yesterday when the game is in the melting pot only take a short kick out with a player inside the 20 M line behind him. Ref throws the ball up and Kerry score.
That's inexcusable where he's my brother or sister.!!
Joyce might have been a good footballer but he's a long way to go to been an inter county Manager.
Jack o Connor saw the weakness in the Galway keeper and exploited it. When the keeper went long Kerry won everything in the first half. Poor shooting cost them a 5point lead at half time.
When the keeper went short it was like a comedy scene.
This been happening since the Mayo game.
You don't win an All Ireland without a Goalkeeper ."

Replying To Breffni1969:  "I'm not critical of the keeper but am critical of the man who put him there.
He was an accident waiting to happen all year. Joyce made no attempt to fix it .
His short kick out has been chronic all year long for an inter county goalkeeper.
And what does he do yesterday when the game is in the melting pot only take a short kick out with a player inside the 20 M line behind him. Ref throws the ball up and Kerry score.
That's inexcusable where he's my brother or sister.!!
Joyce might have been a good footballer but he's a long way to go to been an inter county Manager.
Jack o Connor saw the weakness in the Galway keeper and exploited it. When the keeper went long Kerry won everything in the first half. Poor shooting cost them a 5point lead at half time.
When the keeper went short it was like a comedy scene.
This been happening since the Mayo game.
You don't win an All Ireland without a Goalkeeper ."

Replying To Cockney_Cat:  "But Barry never touched him, he fell into Barry."