Galway have reached a first All-Ireland final in 21 years and you certainly couldn't argue that they don't deserve it. Padraic Joyce's men were miles ahead of Derry at Croke Park this afternoon, especially in the second half.
While they failed to break down the Ulster side's blanket defence in the opening half, they coped much better after the interval. After Damien Comer scored the first goal of the game, it was clear that there was only going to be one winner.
Damien Comer rattles the net for @Galway_GAA to increase their lead. pic.twitter.com/PFvJyf1Pxs
— The GAA (@officialgaa) July 9, 2022
It would not be his only green flag of the game.
After Derry goalkeeper Odhran Lynch was caught up the pitch, he made no mistake in finishing into an empty net despite coming under pressure from the defender.
Damien Comer slots the ball into an empty net to get his second goal of the game for @Galway_GAA. pic.twitter.com/mc1jSaPcbf
— The GAA (@officialgaa) July 9, 2022
Those were far from his only contributions over the 70 minutes or so of action, with Comer popping up in a number of big moments throughout. He was rightly named man-of-the-match for his efforts.
McGuinness and Canavan praise Damien Comer
Speaking on Sky Sports after the match, both Jim McGuiness and Peter Canavan were full of praise for Damien Comer. Not only were his scoring chops on full display, but they were also taken aback by how much leadership he showed throughout the contest.
McGuinness: He was without a doubt the man of the match. He was absolutely brilliant in terms of his leadership qualities, particularly in the first half when there was big points to be kicked...
Canavan: After about 20 or 25 minutes when things were going wrong for Galway, Jim wrote down on his piece of paper about Comer's leadership. He was the one that was standing up when things weren't going well, he wanted the ball to do something on it.
To see him play like that while carrying a knock in the second half, that's what leadership is about. He has got that impression. You can see how highly thought of he is by the players and management. The crowd love him and now he's getting a chance to play in an All-Ireland final.
McGuiness: I added a second note as well: decision making. He was brilliant in that department as well.
There was a moment where there was a ball played a bit like the first goal, and he could have went again, but he decided to come back out, start the process all over again and kill them off.
He killed the clock brilliantly when they got the lead.
Damien Comer is sure to play a big role once again in a couple of weeks when Galway face into an All-Ireland final against either Dublin or Kerry.
While they will likely be underdogs heading into that one, their second half display this evening showed that they can match any team on their day.
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