PADRAIC Joyce says he won’t be making any rash decisions about his Galway future.
Joyce collected his last All-Ireland as a player in 2001, when he blasted 10 points in a final win over Meath.
But his six-year spell as boss could now be over after defeat to the same county.
Dessie Farrell announced his departure from Dublin immediately after their defeat on Saturday and it was thought that Joyce might do the same.
But the Galway manager said: “We’ve just gone out of the Championship so I’m not going to make any rash decisions. We’ll sit and chat with the county board.
“There’s a lot of lads in that dressing-room with decisions to make about next year as well, as we have as a management team, so we will do that in due course.
“The county board have always been very supportive of me and the players so we will sit down and get things properly organised. Whatever will be will be.
“There will be no statements or no rushed announcements coming out in the next day or two anyway.”
And yet Joyce conceded that it looked good for the 2022 and 2024 All-Ireland runners-up when they led by three with 10 minutes left.
He agreed that they looked to be in a good position but conceded they were second best in many areas of the game overall.
Joyce said: “We made life very hard on ourselves. You have to give credit to Meath as well.
“They were up for the game. They won the breaking ball battle all day out in the middle of the pitch.
“They were very sharp inside as well. We didn’t really get enough to put them away.
“They hung in the game very well and congratulations to them. We just didn’t really finish the game out, very disappointing from our side, no doubt about it. But the lads will regroup and go again.”
Galway fans roared their disapproval at a number of big calls from ref Martin McNally.
Joyce was dubious about a number of them too, wondering just how Meath were able to run down the clock in the final moments.
He said: “Connor (Gleeson) had a ball thrown down to kick it in the last two seconds and he just blew it up.
“I don’t know, he kicked it short to himself. Just frustrated with a few decisions that went against us. That happens, we have to move on and take it.”
Joyce said the bottom line was that Galway ‘didn’t get to the energy levels of the game’.
He said: “I think we conceded 2-6 or 2-7 in turnovers. I thought it was a harsh free given against Dan O’Flaherty which resulted in Meath’s goal as well.
“Some days you get them, some days you don’t. Today, we didn’t.”
