'That is why you play the game to make your family proud' - Joe Canning reflects on All Ireland win

Joe Canning of Galway and his nephews celebrate following the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship Final match between Galway and Waterford at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Galway Hurlers Colm Callanan,Darren Morrissey (Minor), Joe Canning, manager Micheal Donoghue David Burke and Joe Cooney with 10-month-old Conor Murray from Galway at Crumlin Children's Hospital.

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September 4 2017 4:12 PM

Joe Canning says he is looking forward to the madness to die down so he can have a few beers and discuss Galway's All Ireland triumph with his team-mates.

Canning scored 0-9 in Galway's win over Waterford in Croke Park and won the hearts of the nation with his dignified post-match celebrations when he stood side by side the family of Tony Keady during the victory speech and posed for photographs with fans for over an hour before finally retreating to the winning dressing room.

Speaking to RTE's Marty Morrissey outside Citywest Hotel today, Canning revealed that the squad members did not get too much time to celebrate among themselves.

"It was a long time coming, 29 years, I wasn't alive to see the last one so it's great for the next generation of kids to have heroes to look up to and something to aspire to," said Canning.

.@joeycan88 is looking forward to sitting down with his @Galway_GAA team-mates over a few beers and reliving their historic triumph pic.twitter.com/nim2t7pcB6
— RTÉ GAA (@RTEgaa) September 4, 2017

"It was a bit of a blur really, I don't really remember much of the match, it just went by. Just meeting family after the match was the biggest thing (memory), my mam and dad and stuff like that.

"That is why you play the game to make them people proud. Even having some of the nephews and the nieces out on the pitch after was pretty special.

"It was funny, last night you didn't celebrate it too much with the lads on the panel, everyone was scattered here among probably 2,000 people so in the next few days hopefully it will settle down and we get to actually celebrate it as a group because we have worked so hard over the last couple of years it will be nice to sit down with the lads and have a few beers together."

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