Galway's Matthew Tierney on his winning penalty against Armagh: 'You have to step up!'

Tierney celebrates the win over Armagh

Penalty shoot-outs were a new phenomenon in championship football this year.

But Matthew Tierney had experience upon which to draw before Galway's All-Ireland quarter-final against Armagh. The Tribesmen and the Orchard County could not be separated by normal time or extra-time.

Tierney immediately put his hand up to take a spot-kick.

"We'd be practicing them away so I had to put the hand up," he explained. "I remember, I was playing soccer a long time ago; it was U-14 Kennedy Cup, semi-final. We lost, and it was a penalty shootout and I refused to take one.

"I was one of the better kickers on the team. Never again - you have to step up."

The Oughterard man slots the penalty to sink Armagh

And there was only one place where he was going to put the ball.

"I'd the spot picked a long time before that," he said.

"Everyone from Oughterard knew where I was going anyway; if you watched the county final, I put it bottom left as well. So, they were calling it.

"Just five steps back, tell the umpire to raise the green flag!

"It was an incredible moment, and the stand went crazy. It was class to have the stand there as well - with Covid last year, it wasn't half as enjoyable. But a full packed-out Croker, it was class.

"An absolutely incredible feeling."

The Tribesmen are looking for their first All-Ireland title since 2001

Tierney is a member of a new wave of Galway footballers. After helping the Tribesmen to the U20 All-Ireland title in 2020, he captained NUIG to the 2022 Sigerson Cup.

"Ah yeah but that is not down to me, it is down to my team mates as well," he said of those successes.

"We have a lot of leaders out there and it is great to play with the boys and it is really enjoyable at the moment and hopefully we will keep the success going.

"[The Sigerson Cup] is a massive competition. It is a step above club. I was down at that final - my brother was playing as well. It was unlucky for them but thank God we got it in the end.

"We did our job and stuck with the game plan and came on the right side of it."

And beating Kerry in the U20 All-Ireland semi-final in 2020 was another boost.

"I suppose you get confidence every time you win but it is a different competition and I don't know, this Kerry team is much different. They are brilliant," he noted.

Tierney captained NUIG to the Sigerson Cup title

Upon his promotion to the senior ranks, he is relishing lining out beside Damien Comer and Shane Walsh each day.

"They're top, top players," he said.

"You see them scoring from everywhere, and their directness - it's a pleasure to work with them and hopefully continue to learn from them."

Watch Kerry vs Galway in the All-Ireland SFC final live on Sky Sports Arena from 2:30pm Sunday.