Kilkenny 3-22 Galway 1-18:When the hubbub had died Ger Loughnane turned toward the team bus, where the Galway players sat stone-faced. There was a wintry feel around Croke Park on Saturday evening, suiting Galway's departure into those long weeks of reflection.
Loughnane left us with a smile, heaping praise on his players, and no doubt comforted by the fact he had, after all, got the best out of them. Only Loughnane could look so in charge in the aftermath of such a defeat.
For the Galway players too, once the pain eases, the realisation will come that they gave Kilkenny a mighty match, possibly their biggest test all year. If Kilkenny do go on to win another All-Ireland - and only the brave will bet against them - then their latest tour de force started here.
Rarely has a championship game in which the teams look inseparable for so long been won by 10 points. But rarely do a team outscore opponents by 2-4 to nothing in the closing 10 minutes, and that is what Kilkenny did to finally subdue Galway.
It meant a highly satisfying afternoon for the Leinster champions and set up an All-Ireland semi-final with Wexford, the team they beat by 15 points to claim that title.
There's plenty of time to mull over that game, but for Galway, and particularly Loughnane, Saturday marked progress.
"That's why Kilkenny are one of the best teams in the country," Loughnane said, "and one of the best teams of all time. Give them any space, any gap, and show any lack of concentration, and they will finish you off.
"But up to then, I thought we played with great pride and intensity. The spirit with the team was fantastic. Everything was working for us, and I was just hoping that if we could scrape through, a game like that would have brought us on massively.
"I think that game will win the All-Ireland for Kilkenny . . . we made a great effort at it but Kilkenny were the better team, stronger and more physical. I felt we had Kilkenny well rattled at times, but at other times we were just hanging in there."
Loughnane reckoned the loss of corner back Fergal Moore for the second half (with a hamstring injury) cost them when Eddie Brennan was left isolated for his two late goals. Not that the manager was blaming his 20-year-old full back Ger Mahon; Galway, he reminded us, are still a work in progress.
"I'm happy with the foundation," he added, "but the walls went up a bit fast, and just collapsed in the last 10 minutes. But you can't come in and build a team in one year. We have very young players all down the spine of that team. They'll have gained huge experience from that, and it's where you go from here, how they progress next year, that's the vital thing for Galway.
"Some of the expectation was that the manager would come in, wave a magic wand, and win the All-Ireland. But it's a building process. So I'll go another year, if the county board still want me, and by then I would have to have brought that team as far forward as I can. If that wins an All-Ireland, well and good."
In the end, many of the problems that beset Galway in the league resurfaced, including that unsettled defence. Physically, they matched Kilkenny; centre back John Lee, for instance, imposed himself brilliantly. But with Damien Hayes playing at midfield, where he finished up scoreless, and none of the Galway replacements scoring, it was also a case of running out of artillery.
Alan Kerins, Niall Healy and the fine free-taking of Kerrill Wade had Galway running the show early on, and Richie Murray's goal on 25 minutes put them 1-7 to 0-8 ahead. Kilkenny indeed looked rattled, but there was no evidence of panic.
"It mattered hugely to us that we did win the game today," said manager Brian Cody, and no one needed to ask why. The death of Vanessa McGarry, wife of goalkeeper James, had bonded Kilkenny beyond understanding.
"It was a very difficult time," said Cody. "It tore the hearts out of everybody . . . Everybody was saying it put sport into perspective, and of course it does. But it also highlights the importance of sport, because having today to look forward to pulled everybody through the week.
"James was with us at training on Thursday night . . . and he came with us on the bus today, and that mattered hugely to us, and the whole spirit of the team. Because James has been one of our leaders, more so this year; even when he wasn't playing he assumed a leadership role you couldn't even quantify."
Cody had to call on all his managerial experience, bringing in Richie Power at half time - to add a crucial 1-1 - but also taking off two of his half backs, including the All Star JJ Delaney. Kilkenny were in a battle, and Cody steered them through it.
The great Henry Shefflin was held scoreless from play, but Brennan turned the game with a match-winning 2-3.
"The first half was like 110 miles an hour," Brennan remarked. "Everyone was out on their feet. We knew Galway were savage hurlers, savage fitness.
"We expected nothing less . . . But we were confident in our own game, that the chances would come. And thankfully we made those two chances count. That was the difference. Because other than that there wasn't a puck of the ball between us."
For Galway that may be some consolation.
KILKENNY: 1 PJ Ryan; 2 M Kavanagh, 3 N Hickey, 4 J Tyrrell; 5 T Walsh, 6 B Hogan, 7 JJ Delaney; 8 D Lyng (0-2), J Fitzpatrick (0-3, one free); 10 E Brennan (2-3), 11 H Shefflin (0-7, all frees), 12 E Larkin (0-2); 13 W O'Dwyer (0-1), 14 M Comerford (0-2), 15 A Fogarty (0-1). Subs: 21 R Power (1-1) for Fogarty (half-time), 18 J Ryall for Delaney (49 mins), 17 J Tennyson for Hogan (58 mins), 20 M Fennelly for O'Dwyer (60 mins).
GALWAY: 1 C Callanan (0-1, a free); 2 G Kennedy, 3 G Mahon, 4 F Moore; 20 D Hardiman, 6 J Lee, 5 S Kavanagh; 15 D Hayes, 7 D Collins; 10 A Kerins (0-4), 8 F Healy (0-2), 9 R Murray (1-0); 13 K Wade (0-7, six frees, one 65), 12 I Tannian (0-1), 11 N Healy (0-3). Subs: 17 D Joyce for Moore (35 mins, inj), 24 D Forde for Hardiman (half-time), 23 E Cloonan for Murray (52 mins), 14 K Broderick for Tannian (58 mins).
Referee: D Murphy (Wexford).
YELLOW CARDS: Kilkenny: T Walsh (43 mins). Galway: D Collins (15 mins), D Hardiman (30 mins), G Mahon (35 mins), I Tannian (44 mins); RED CARDS: None.
