Gallagher has had an incredibly tough journey in the past two years and was a surprise selection as Ireland ‘keeper, but he repaid coach Sean Boylan’s faith in him with some brilliant saves, ensuring the Aussies went goalless for the night.
Groin and back injuries forced Gallagher out of his county club Meath in July 2006 and it has only been club form with Dunboyne this year that saw him get back near his best and force his way into the national team.
While clearly outstanding in the first test on Friday night, Gallagher isn’t getting carried away with either his performance or the one-point victory.
"I was happy enough with it. I'm not happy with only having a one-point lead and will be much happier if we win by a point again next week," he told afl.com.au.
"The one that got flicked over the bar I might have been able to close down a little quicker but you either get a hand to it or you don’t. As a goalkeeper it's great when you do and it was nice to not let in a six-pointer.
"Six points are major in this game and they made a big difference to us winning this one, but it's only half time in the series. We are only a point up and have an awful lot of work still to do."
Gallagher was well aware that some were questioning his selection in the Irish team after his injury run that saw him out of the game between the middle of 2006 and start of 2008, but with the backing of Boylan he felt ready to contribute.
"Of course there was a lot of talk about me not having played in such a while, but I didn’t go away," he said.
"I was seriously injured and might have lost a wee bit of interest in the county scene, but I still played on and stayed around my club. I did all I could there and Sean Boylan has known me long enough now to know what I'm about and he gave me a five-week stint where I gave all that I had."
Gallagher's injuries almost saw his career come to an end, but the 28-year-old never gave up and is now earning the rewards. After this series, he might also consider rejoining county side Meath if it comes calling for next season.
"I had a bulged disc in my back and then went for a groin operation, and I'm not really sure if it worked. It just seemed to go on and on for nine months and I'm not sure if that was really the problem or not. It took until this year for me to get back to being myself," he said.
"I'm not sure if I will come back to Meath or not. Meath has been blessed with great goalkeepers and to be honest, I'm very proud to be playing with Dunboyne and I love being there. Who knows, though, I might re-think about it at the end of this series."
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The 2008 Toyota International Rules Series: Australia v Ireland
Second Test – MCG, Melbourne, Friday October 31
Tickets on sale now at ticketmaster.com.au, by calling 1300 136 122 or at a Ticketmaster outlet.
For full coverage of the 2008 series, click here.
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