"We're relieved. It was a very difficult game. Thankfully the lads worked very hard and showed the character in them to grind out a result in a very difficult game. I would hope it will galvanise us. We've had very difficult challenges with Roscommon so hopefully this will help us prepare."

Brendan McGuckian and Leitrim denied New York a famous victory.

"It's heartbreaking. Mayo is coming next year so the chance of a win there is slim so it was right there for us but, hey… back to the drawing board I guess."

It was an opportunity lost for Justin O'Halloran and the Exiles.

"It's very disappointing really because I think we're a far better team than we showed on the day. We had a very good league campaign. I feel for the lads that didn't perform up to their ability and not showing the quality that they have."

London boss Ciaran Deely believes his players didn't do themselves justice against Sligo.

"I thought we under a wee bit of pressure coming out here - the thing is it's a bit different when you have to travel to a match - but I thought we very professional from start to finish. Every man had a role to play and we are delighted and we will head back now and get ready for the next round."

The Yeats County avoided a potential banana skin and Cathal Corey is now looking forward to a semi-final date with the winners of Galway versus Mayo.

"We were beaten by the better side on the day. They were hungrier, they were onto breaking ball, their touch seemed to be way slicker than ours. Even when we were three points up at half-time, we probably didn't deserve to be."

Laois' Eamonn Kelly had no excuses following their Joe McDonagh Cup defeat to Westmeath on Saturday.

"From one to 20, character was shown. Many a team might have lay down, but we didn't lie down, we rose to the occasion and came back."

Antrim recovered from the concession of two early goals to inflict a heavy defeat on Meath and Neal Peden hailed the character shown by their players.

"It's hard to believe, isn't it, that that's Dublin's first National League title. Sinéad Aherne is playing 15 years for Dublin and that's her first National League title. For her, a spectacular day. - to give such a performance, to captain the team and obviously to create history."

Mick Bohan guided the Jackies to a first league success at the expense of Mayo.

"My heart is still in my mouth actually. We were lucky there in the end with that (over-turned) penalty, I thought it was a penalty myself. Luck happened to be on our side today and we eventually got over the line."

Tipperary star Aishling Moloney admitted that they got the rub of the green in their Division 2 final win over Cavan.

"Leinster is a joke at the moment. I think teams are beaten before they go out against Dublin. It's ridiculous; I wouldn't even watch a Leinster championship match now."

Suffice to say Kerry great Tomas O Se isn't counting down the clock to the start of the Leinster SFC!

 

 

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