Rebels rule, but Shefflin red leaves bad taste

ALL-IRELAND SHC QUARTER-FINAL

Unfortunately it was also a win shrouded in controversy. A minute before half-time Kilkenny wing-forward Henry Shefflin was hunting behind his own half-back line, chasing down Cork centre-forward Jamie Coughlan when, as often happens, his hand and hurley drifted high and caught Coughlan around the throat. Yellow card. Fair enough. Sadly for Henry it was his second, his first coming in the 11th minute for a most innocuous tap on Tom Kenny.

If this turns out to be the end of the greatest team ever to have graced hurling then so be it. Kilkenny over the past 13 years have been a revelation, brought great honour not just to themselves but to the game itself. But every era ends.