Roll up, roll up, for the faceless final

Maybe it’s because we’re so used to seeing Kilkenny front and centre after most games but it seemed they spent an inordinate amount of time behind their dressing room door on Sunday.

Whether Brian Cody was reading his players the riot act is unclear but it was easy to picture the disconsolate faces behind the door. TJ Reid’s as he contemplated the fine individual shift he had just put in but ultimately in vain. The fixed frustration on Richie Hogan’s as he began the process of harnessing the pain of this rare loss.

Eoin Murphy’s as he quietly promised himself he would never experience a first-half like that again.