Even Donegal fans, their team badly beaten, surely had a cheer for Michael Meehan as he stepped back into inter-county action on Saturday evening. It was Meehan's first appearance for Galway since 2013.
The initial public step of his inter-county comeback taken, his side's victory would mean a reacquaintance with the scene of one of Meehan's great performances in a Galway jersey: an All-Ireland quarter-final against Kerry.
Though Galway lost the 2008 fixture against the Kingdom, it was the Tribesmen's performance and in particular that of Meehan which will be remembered.
Galway went into the game as Connacht champions, having easily beaten Mayo four weeks previously. Kerry had taken the indirect route to the last eight. After losing to Cork in the Munster decider, they defeated Monaghan in the qualifiers.
Meehan scored ten points that day, six of them from play, as the rain bucketed down at Croke Park. It was a day which will surely go down as one of the wettest in the history of Irish sport but also one which saw the skills of both sides endure despite the adverse conditions.
Though he was on the losing side by five points, 1-21 to 1-16, it was Meehan who received the Man of the Match award. It was a deserved accolade, even the most biased of Kerrymen would have been unable to dispute.
As the rain poured down at Croke Park and fans retreated to the shelter at the rear of the stands, such was the dimmed light by 5 o'clock on the August Saturday evening, the floodlights the GAA headquarters had to be turned on. It may have been one of the first floodlit Championship games played at Jones Road.
Word from those lucky and unlucky enough to be at the game afterwards was of the roads being impassable due to the torrents of rain.
Though Kerry's victory looked an easy one on the scoreboard at the final whistle, it was hard fought. Galway led by two points with less than 20 minutes remaining.
Kerry would take control over the last 15 minutes, setting up an All-Ireland semi-final against Cork, their conquerors from earlier that summer.
Picture credit: Stephen McCarthy / SPORTSFILE
