There is no doubt that Henry Shefflin will come away from this evening's loss against Limerick wondering how things went so wrong for Galway in the second half.
His team performed brilliantly in the opening 25 minutes or so, at one point leading the defending All-Ireland champions by six points in the first half. In saying that, they failed to kick on from that position.
Limerick would go into halftime trailing by just one point. Once the second half got underway, it was clear that only one team was going to win the game.
John Kiely's men were utterly dominant across the pitch, squeezing the life out of of Galway. They looked completely solid at the back in doing so, meaning they were good value for their nine-point victory at the end of the game.
Henry Shefflin gives honest Galway assessment after Limerick loss
For Galway, this will act was a wakeup call in relation to how far they still have to go to be considered on the same level as Limerick. They have made some strides in 2023, although that second half looked like it was a case of men versus boys in Croke Park.
Speaking to RTÉ after the game, Henry Shefflin admitted that it was difficult to see the progress in this team on the back of that result.
'You can't play for 25 minutes in an All-Ireland hurling semi-final' - Henry Shefflin reflects on his Galway side's fast start and their inability to back it up pic.twitter.com/0FMpcIhIwS
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 8, 2023
We started very well, we felt like we were playing on our terms. As Limerick do, after 25 minutes they started to wrestle the game back to their terms...
They grew into the game and got stronger as it went on. It was evident that they are used to the four weeks (off), it stood to them very well. They were exceptional I must say.
Obviously we would be very disappointed. We scored 1-13 after about 25 minutes and you're saying 'we're moving very well', but from there on Limerick took over the game...
We didn't perform to that level thereafter, you can't play for 25 minutes in an All-Ireland semi-final. Limerick certainly did and they wrestled it back and there was only one winner from there...
It doesn't feel like progress now to be honest with you. In the last 40 minutes we scored 0-6 or 0-7 from there on, so it doesn't feel like that today.
Look, I think the group is in a better place. But at the end of the day we're about performances and today wasn't good enough.
For someone who was a bonafide winner during his playing career, a result such as this one will not be accepted by Henry Shefflin.
Galway have a long way to go if they want to ensure that we don't see a repeat of it in 2023.
SEE ALSO: Joe Canning's Halftime Criticism Proved To Be Spot On After Galway Lose To Limerick
