The better team won. Galway almost always looked that bit more composed and certainly had that bit extra in the attack. The scoring threat of their forward line proved more widespread, whereas Kildare relied too much on the more ponderous and predictable build-up, which was also unsuited to the conditions.

At the very death as well, I felt Kildare's long championship was starting to prove a little too much. Their great running power seemed to dry up fractionally, especially with the physically demanding conditions that very much militated against a short-passing game. It was a day for defenders because, with that wet surface, it was very difficult for the forwards to turn their men.

Obviously the sending-off of John Finn had a major influence, but even before that I felt the tide was turning in favour of Galway. The game had opened up that bit more at that stage, and, in particular, you had the Galway forwards finding a lot more open space.

Padraig Joyce, and to a lesser extent Derek Savage, were clearly beating their markers, almost at will, and actually demanding the ball from outfield players. That, to me, glowed of a team with the confidence to win.

At that stage as well, the role of Michael Donnellan became more apparent. At times before that, however, his influence was dubious, as he seemed to be playing a withdrawn role out the field. For long periods, Glen Ryan was holding the middle and there were a lot of misdirected kicks going into the Galway full-forward line. But, eventually, Donnellan's delivery of that first-time long ball turned out to be a very astute tactic.

Of course, both teams were going to make mistakes in the conditions. There was a lot of slipping around, but Kildare still had great deal of possession in the first half. They dominated the midfield area and Karl O'Dwyer was also playing clever ball to the inside forwards.

They should have gone in at half-time at least four or five points ahead, but instead they failed to capitalise on open opportunities. The likes of Willie McCreery and John Doyle missed clearcut easy chances, and you just can't afford to do that at this stage of the championship.

Padraig Brennan looked to me like their only forward who could score from their possession, but again the day suited more physical players. Plus, he didn't get enough ball to punish a defence that did look weak at times, particularly when the long ball was driven in around the square.

Galway's introduction of Kevin Walsh and John Divilly had mixed effects. I felt that Divilly looked out of sorts and off the pace, especially when it came to tracking down Karl O'Dwyer. He was allowed to kick three points in succession, which at the time looked very dangerous for Galway. Walsh, in fairness, was a steadying influence around the middle of the field, even though he lacked a certain amount of mobility.

When Kildare got their second goal, the immediate question was how would Galway respond. Crucially, they tacked on three points without reply and, in many ways, that was a true reflection of their character and will to win.

A lot of these Galway players have been together now since their minor days and it is obvious that there is a great bond and fighting spirit among them.

Once John Finn saw the red card, I felt that was the last straw for Kildare. He is a quality defender, but he has no excuse. It was the proper decision.

Having said that, Kildare tried gallantly to fight back, even if their options were greatly limited. Galway regrouped very cleverly at the back, with Sean de Paor especially playing a lot of sensible and intelligent ball. At the other end, Padraig Joyce played a true captain's role in keeping up the tempo and actually demanding the ball in the last quarter. But it was obvious from an early stage that Ronan Quinn was going to have difficulty coping with him. Right now, he is the best full forward in the country.

Still, the Galway forwards will look back on a lot of this game and realise that they didn't completely gel or combine together like they usually can.

Kildare have so far played all the championship matches this summer on fine dry days, but with the footing and control of the ball so difficult here, I think their natural short-passing game was curtailed to a certain extent. There was another heroic display from Martin Lynch and to a lesser extent Dermot Earley, but McCreery found that ball control a little too difficult at times.

But Kildare can't have any real complaints. In most areas, Galway were that bit more composed and threatening, and especially in finishing their scores. The idea of them not being tested before this hardly mattered because they have this great belief in themselves and showed that quite convincingly here.

In an interview with Ian O'Riordan