Michael Murphy rued Galway's 'quick hands' as the reason they defeated Donegal in the All-Ireland semi-final on Sunday.
The teams were tied with ten minutes to play but late points from Robert Finnerty and Liam Silke guided Galway to victory.
Silke's late point came after a slick passing move involving the scorer and his club-mate Dylan McHugh, with the Corofin duo having sliced Donegal open with some intricate hand-passing.
Padraic Joyce's side had more of the play in the first half but needed a fortunate Paul Conroy goal to go into the half-time break level.
Conroy's point attempt dropped short but while Matthew Tierney didn't touch it on the way in, he made enough of a nuisance of himself to put Shaun Patton off and the ball hopped into the net.
Michael Langan and Oisin Gallen kept Donegal in it with a scintillating array of points but the scores dried up for Jim McGuinness' side in the second half as they struggled to break down Galway's defence.
How often does this happen?! 😮🤯
Paul Conroy gives Galway the lead in bizarre fashion! 🏐
Watch live ⬇ | #BBCGAA
— BBC SPORT NI (@BBCSPORTNI) July 14, 2024
Galway broke the lines down the other end with more ease, with Murphy putting it down to their 'quick hands.'
"These quick hands have been huge for them," he said on the BBC's coverage of the game.
"A lot of Galway's attacking play was down to their quick hands that unlocked the defence.
"They moved the ball really well, and those are the margins. They were able to slip into the scoring zones a bit more effectively than Donegal."
Eventual man-of-the-match Dylan McHugh was the best exponent of Murphy's point, linking up sublimely with his club-mate Silke throughout. The half backs scored two from play each for a finish.
After the game, McHugh explained how his side's 'angled running' allowed them to punch holes in the Donegal rearguard.
Read More: It Broke Lee Keegan’s Heart To Hand Out Effusive Galway Praise After Donegal Win
"You need that angled running to break it down, to create overlaps and to create scores," he told RTÉ.
"It's something we've worked hugely on and it's great to see it work there today."
Galway manager Padraic Joyce says he felt Galway's experience told down the home straight of the game.
"One more fence to jump," Joyce said to the BBC.
"Our lads were fantastic.
"I thought it was a brilliant game of football. I know it was a bit defensive, but every score had to be earned. I thought our bit of experience told down the line.
"Semi-finals are for winning, no matter how you win them," he added.
Joyce also paid a tribute to Jim McGuinness for the job he has done with Donegal.
"Course I did. I have huge respect for Jim and what he's done. The plaudits are with Galway today, but the job he's done has been amazing. They will have their day that team, the work they've done has been amazing."
Dylan McHugh says the Galway supporters can go mad but the team will 'focus on the football.'
"We;ve a small bit of experience of it from two years ago. They'll be going mad, but we'll just have to focus on the football."
For them, there's only one more fence to jump.
