Kilkenny v Galway - GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship Final
Cunningham says Galway will 'drive on'
Given he was forced to re-apply for his own job at the end of last season, Anthony Cunningham must have spent this year on a crusade to prove people wrong.
To prove to people that he was the man to end Galway's 27-year All-Ireland drought and to prove that his remodeled young side had the ability to beat Kilkenny.
In the end, Galway and Cunningham came up short, beaten by a relentless second half showing from Kilkenny, who turned a three-point half-time deficit into a comfortable four-point win.
Utterly downcast in the post-match media briefing, Cunningham attempted to turn his mind to next year and the need to improve to have any hope of catching Cody's killer Cats.
"It is a massive challenge," Cunningham said. "It is something we have already spoken about in the dressing-room.
"If we stay at the same level we won't be back here. So we have got to work harder and get better, but with the amount of players we have it is definitely within our grasp to do that.
"A huge amount of that is down to the players. I have no doubt that the system and professional(ism) we have is as good as what has ever been there or will ever. Players have to kick on, but the way they have worked so hard to drive on; that is there. So I would be very surprised if we don't kick on."
Three ahead at half-time after an outstanding first half performance, Cunningham said his players have All-Ireland success within their grasp, but they wobbled badly in the second half when the pressure was on and allowed Kilkenny back into the game, and then to take over.
"We probably could have been more ahead, but you are playing Kilkenny," the St Thomas' man added. "We had an outstanding first-half and deserved to be three up. Could have been more, but I don't think that was the winning or losing of the game. But as time went on we panicked a bit and had a few bad wides.
"That is extremely hard to get better at, but it is something we have got to get better at. It is within our grasp to win an All-Ireland. We are within inches of it, but it is how we react from it. We have been here before and it took us a couple of years more than we wanted to get back here.
"But, all in all, we have to keep working. We got huge experience again at the top end of the championship. A day like today is when you only get to witness that.
"That is what we will strive to get back to. I have no doubt that these players will work hard and they will get there."
