Templemore manager proud of gallant effort

Templemore manager Tommy Byrnes acknowledged that his side needed a greater lead than the 0-7 to 0-5 advantage they had at half-time, having played with the wind. He couldn’t fault the effort shown, though.

“We had a couple of wides and it took us a while to settle,” he said, “a two-point lead at half-time wasn’t enough but there was still only a puck of a ball in it at the end. The last 10 minutes was a huge effort from us, they could have laid down and gone five or six points down but they ran it as much as they could and they just came up short.”

“We put the ball in there three times near the end and it was cleared, a little bit of luck and it would have been a replay,” he said.

The heavy underfoot conditions didn’t help Templemore either.

“It probably suited them because they’re so big,” Byrnes said.

“Us being a small school, we’re using more fifth years and Transition Years than them and it’s hard for a 15- or a 16-year-old to be competing against an 18-and-a-half-year-old, especially in these conditions.

“We’re very proud of them, they’ve been fantastic all year. It’s not just today, their effort off the field, their effort in training and in school has been excellent.

Despite losing, Templemore remain in the All-Ireland hunt, with a quarter-final clash against Connacht runners-up Gort CS awaiting, once they regroup.

“I didn’t know what the draw is, we hadn’t looked past today, to be honest,” Byrne said.

“All the focus was on this, the Harty has a huge tradition and it’s what everyone dreams of winning.