Anthony Daly: Cork didn't need a rabbit from the hat, just defiance and stardust

This was finally a bridge too far for Limerick but this team will still go down as one of the greatest ever.

HATS OFF: Cork's Brian Hayes celebrates after the semi-final win over Limerick. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

When the national anthem was being played in Croke Park yesterday, I got emotional. Lookit, I nearly get emotional when I hear traditional music but looking around at a packed Croke Park, with 82,000 in the stadium for an All-Ireland semi-final, for an amateur game, how could you not be bursting with pride?

If I was feeling that way before a ball was even pucked, how juiced up on pride was I afterwards? And I’m not even from Cork or Limerick. How proud were all those people of their warriors? The dream of five-in-a-row is over for Limerick but how much more could this group have actually given? How many more epics could they realistically have won?