By John Harrington

Galway manager Kevin Walsh admitted his team have a lot to learn after today’s Allianz Football League Final defeat to Dublin, but was proud of their performance nonetheless.

“It's one of disappointment with the result, obviously,” said Walsh after the match.

“But, overall, taking everything into account, I suppose it's a big learning curve for the team.

“It was important that we were there coming up the stretch kind of a thing, and the boys were there.

“They're disappointed we gave away a few late points, but, overall, for a team that I think with maybe five of those who started haven't kicked a championship ball yet, it was important for us to see how they would react at headquarters.

“Look, they're All-Ireland champions for a reason and they're there for the last three years. They're really, really good at ball retention so that's a lesson I suppose in a way that we'd be hoping to learn from them going forward. They're a long-time around the block.

“We're here to learn and no better team to learn from. There are things we have to pick up.”

This was Dublin’s fifth Allianz Football League title in six years under manager Jim Gavin, who was understandably pleased with the character his team showed in the face of a stiff challenge from Galway.

“Absolutely delighted with that win,” he said after the match.

“Delighted for the players first and foremost. They're an amazing group of Dublin footballers. To have determination, drive and ambition, particularly after their phenomenal achievements last year.

“And to turn up this year with two weeks preparation for the National League, get themselves into a final and find themselves in a real dogfight with 25 minutes to go on the clock and a man down into the wind, against a phenomenal Galway team with fantastic forwards.

“To still produce what they did is remarkable. Myself and the backroom team are just very privileged to work with these players, we really are.”

A shock looked possible when Dublin were reduced to 14-men with 20 minutes of normal time remaining when Niall Scully was yellow-carded for the second time and given his marching orders.

But Dublin played their best football of the match in the final 15 minutes when they outscored Galway by five points to one, and Gavin believes that gut-check will really stand to his less experienced players.

“It's a great challenge, to get a challenge like this at the start of April with two months to go to championship,” he said.

“I don't know if he (Scully) was unlucky to get the double yellow to be honest but to find ourselves in that situation gave us a great opportunity to finish with players who wouldn't have much championship time - Eoin Murchan, Con O'Callaghan, Colm Basquel, Shane Carthy.

“Players like this who haven't experienced that intensity. That was quite as close to championship as you're going to get for this time of the year.

“That experience will certainly help their development as inter-county footballers.”