It was a sluggish opening half from the Bannermen with Eoin Cody netting for a dominant Kilkenny side.
“We were playing so poorly in the first half, there were a number of guys that could have been taken off, probably six or seven. But we just let them have it and sort it out themselves.
“We have a great bunch – I just felt that, win or lose, we had to produce a better performance than the first half.”
And they did just that to avoid heartbreak again at the hands of Kilkenny at the semi-final stage.
“Everyone wants to win, it’s a great game, everyone wants to be playing it, everyone wants to be involved with it.
“But it’s only really great when you win, it’s not great when you lose. So I’m really delighted for our supporters and I’m just very happy.”
