Tipperary reaction: ‘They won the battle of space . . . and it worked for them’

Rarely has any man been more philosophical about the losing of an All-Ireland hurling final than Eamon O’Shea.

What unfolded in Croke Park was, in his eyes, not just about victory or defeat but the realisation his team had grown as men. His team were not just leaving the championship in a better place, but were leaving Tipperary hurling in a better place also.

“I know you are expected to win and I am not trying to minimise that,” said O’Shea. “And we tried hard to win. But I do think there are more important things; and I believe these are men who fought the battle to the end . . . when things didn’t go their way, they kept going.

“And that’s my understanding of sport. And when Tipp play now, we really try until it is no longer possible. They can be proud of that . . . but that doesn’t take away from a supreme effort that just didn’t happen on the day.”

Later, defender Paddy Stapleton spoke on behalf of the players. He said everyone "to a man" wanted and needed O'Shea to remain in charge. he also summed up the feeling that Kilkenny simply sucked the life out of their game, despite the Tipp's best efforts.

“There’s not a man among us that wouldn’t want Eamon to stay on,” said Stapleton

. “He gets us and we get him. He has a fantastic personality, a great motivator, and has a great vision of hurling and the way it should be played in the style of Tipperary. He’s is sync [synchronised] with ourselves and we would love if he could stay on.”

But after a game where Tipperary found Kilkenny putting a stick into their freewheeling hurling (Stapleton himself had scored a point in the drawn game, from corner back), there was also the realisation that better teams with sharper tactics usually win.

“They really closed up the gaps this time,” said Stapleton. “They won the battle of the space. It is also down to winning more primary possession. You can create that space, but they made their adjustments and it worked for them in the end.”