Victorious Tipperary manager Liam Sheedy accepts Richie Hogan’s sending-off had “a huge bearing” on the All-Ireland final, but says he didn’t see the foul on Cathal Barrett that led to the red card.
Sheedy admitted Tipp didn’t play well in the first period – when they trailed at one stage by five points – but he pointed to Niall O’Meara’s goal as another significant turning point
“I didn’t see it (the sending-off). But to play with a man down for that long is always going to be a difficult assignment.
“For long periods of that first half, we were gasping for air. We needed a goal and we got it, an individual piece of brilliance by Niall…A great finish because Eoin Murphy is a hard man to pass.
“We felt we never really found our flow in the first half. We never really got to the pitch of it. We spoke about what we wanted to achieve in the second half and the performance we wanted to find and that’s such an honest group, they self-corrected.
“They went out and probably the goal after half time settled us and once we got a foothold, in the game.
“And when you start chasing a game with a man down and go seven or eight down, it’s very difficult to claw it back – so it had a huge bearing on the game, no question.”
Sheedy paid tribute to his players for pressing home their numerical advantage in the second period.
“I had to say very little. It all came from inside the white lines, from this wondering, wonderful group of players who show maturity way beyond their years.
“I think we’ve some of the best players that have ever worn the blue and gold jersey wearing it right now. I’m just privileged to be working alongside them.”