Galway manager Micheal Donoghue.
By Cian O'Connell
Galway manager Micheal Donoghue is relishing the opportunity to face 'standard bearers' Kilkenny in Sunday's Leinster SHC Final at Croke Park.
Having defeated Westmeath and Offaly, Donoghue acknowledges that the intensity levels will increase significantly against the reigning provincial and All Ireland champions.
"I think at the outset you could see the pathway to it," Donoghue commented about the victories over Westmeath and Offaly.
"It was just about getting the job done to implement as much of the game plan as we could to try to improve on it.
"That's what the lads have done. Obviously it's going to be a totally different challenge in terms of intensity and what they're going to bring to the table, but look, the lads have been through a lot and have big experience so there's a good spirit, there's a good vibe in the group at the minute.
"Everyone's just looking forward to it now."
Brian Cody and Walter Walsh pictured at the Leinster SHC launch.
Donoghue was impressed with how Kilkenny dealt with Dublin's semi-final challenge at O'Moore Park, Portlaoise.
“I suppose from Kilkenny's perspective they just seem to do the same every day," Donoghue reflected.
"There's nothing new in that. They've always been, for the last couple of years, they're the standard bearers and it's up to everyone else to match them to compete with them - we know that's going to be no different on Sunday."
Being primed for a Leinster decider in July has been a target for Galway throughout the campaign.
“Ah yeah, as I said, I'm not being disrespectful to the two teams we've played, but if we performed, we still had to get through them, but at the back of our mind in everything we're doing it's been there. "We've never taken anything for granted. It's a big thing in the group that we're being respectful for everyone and just taking one step at a time.
"There's no point in going three steps ahead of ourselves. We're there now and since the Offaly game it's been our focus. Everything now is full attention on them."
Last year in the Leinster and All Ireland Finals Galway encountered bother after half-time in both games. Will that be a factor? “I think from our perspective and historically what's gone was out of my control and our control, but I think from the Galway public, from ourselves, I think there's no hidden secret in it that we want to make Galway a more consistent team, particularly in their performance and that's regardless of who they play so we're happy the way things are gone.
"We've navigated ourselves to the Leinster Final and it's up to us now to raise the bar again when we go into that game."
