Bonus PaperTalk: Peter McNamara talks to Cork U21 hurling coach John Meyler ahead of tonight's Munster final with Limerick.

John discusses his emotional reaction to semi-final victory over Waterford, Cork hurling's renaissance, his love of coaching, sweeper systems and tactics and much more.

John Meyler’s post-match interview on TG4 gained as much traction as Declan Dalton’s blistering penalty which won Cork a place in the Bord Gáis Energy Munster U21 Hurling Championship final.

Though Dalton’s exquisite stroke deep into added-time was lauded and replayed many times, so too was Meyler’s on-screen reflection of the occasion.

The Cork coach – he much prefers the term ‘coach’ to ‘manager’ – was understandably moved in front of the TV cameras following the Rebels’ dramatic 2-17 to 1-19 victory over Waterford.

Speaking on the Irish Examiner Paper Talk podcast series on Monday, Meyler revealed the pressure and emotion of a rollercoaster period for hurling in the county poured loose in that moment.

“The pressure had been building, if you go back even to the very first match we played against Tipperary in the senior hurling championship,” Meyler explained. “You meet a lot of people before games and what people were looking for was a performance from the team.

“Even if we were beaten by four, six or eight points they would have been happy with the performance.

“I met a lot of people before that Tipp match, and before the Waterford game they wanted the same.

“Of course, we got consistent, back-to-back performances in those games and then we went into the Munster final against Clare and you had the minors with Denis (Ring) winning which really set the pattern for the day.

“The minor team gave the seniors that guard of honour in the tunnel before we came out. Then the seniors win and all of that raw emotion spilled out into the crowd.

“People are then saying: ‘Lads, ye’re up next. And ye need to keep the show on the road’.

“So there was a lot of pressure to win in Waterford, and especially with Waterford winning the All-Ireland U21 title the year before.

“There was a lot of emotion pent up in that. Plus, the way we won it with (Declan) Dalton scoring the penalty.

“It’s what every kid dreams about really, scoring a last-minute penalty to win an FA Cup final or an All-Ireland final. I was delighted for Dalton.

“All of that had built up, really.”

Listen to the extended interview here...