Eddie Brennan was gracious in defeat after Kilkenny's defeat to Limerick in the All-Ireland U21HC final, accepting that the hungrier team won.

"[We won] the toss, and we said ourselves that we'd play against the wind. But when a team comes with absolute hunger and desire like Limerick did, the match went away from us quickly as their foundations were set early," the Cats boss said.

"They always had somebody coming chomping at the bit with the ball, they were strong in the tackle. That was the difference for me. That's what All-Ireland finals are about. It's about going in and willing to get hurt. You could see it in them all. They were well up for it.

"We went in seven points [down] and it was a huge ask. They were going to sit back with their sweeper set in place. When you're playing with the wind, you can play into a team's hands, and that's a system they're well used to. We can have absolutely no complaints.

"The hungrier team won out, and that was it. Limerick had an energy about them today and they chased down everything. They left nothing on the field."

Tweet

Most Read Stories