"It's a hard way to lose a match."
That was the initial reaction from Ballygunner manager Daragh O'Sullivan following his side's exit from the All-Ireland Championship after penalties at O'Moore Park that saw St Thomas' advance to the decider.
A savage game played out in Laois for this semi-final with both teams intent on booking their place in Croke Park in January.
While there had been plenty talk of the venue and the throw-in time and how neither was ideal, all that was forgotten quickly after throw-in when James Regan found the net for St. Thomas' inside three minutes before a near immediate response from Dessie Hutchinson and Patrick Fitzgerald who both raised green flags.
The tone was set from that point and the fans in O'Moore Park were treated to one of the best games of hurling that any of them will have seen. The only real pity is that a replay was not an option as if they had to go and do it again, it could have made for another all-timer.
"That's the nature of the competition," the former All-Ireland winning manager told WLR Sport. Adding that "We knew at the beginning of the year that it was knockout [result on the day]."
Speaking to the media in O'Moore Park, an emotional O'Sullivan said: "That's the way it goes."
"Look, I'm so proud of the lads. The commitment they've given me over the last number of years is unbelievable. They've put their shoulder behind everything we've done. They're an absolutely special special group of people and what happened today won't define them as a group. They're role models in every aspect of life. The way they carry themselves on the field and off; they'll continue to that, I have no doubt. They're an inspiration for all the young lads we have in our club and they're an inspiration for us as well.
