"There is more important things in life than sport. We are amateur players at the end of the day and our health is our wealth and it is great to see Davy there on the line today and that''s what it's all about."

Galway ace Joe Canning put things into perspective following their six-point victory over Clare.

"It's nice to have people that care - that's very important. You've been in this game a long time. I tell you, it was a tough week but all the nice comments help and that. This is where I'm most at home, out here, and I love it, really enjoy it."

It wasn't to be for Davy Fitzgerald and the Banner hurlers on this occasion.

"Any day you get to a final, a provincial final, there are always people who are going to have comments and analysis of that, but with respect the only people that matter are people that we have respect for - family and friends."

Criticism is part and parcel of the inter-county management game as far as Micheál Donoghue is concerned.

"It wasn't pretty but we got the win."

Michael 'Brick' Walsh summed up the Deise's last eight victory over Wexford.

"We got a lot of sucker punches this year, a lot of blows. I have to give the lads great credit because they've given me everything they have. Some of them guys will be back next year and they'll push it on whether I'm with them or not."

Question marks hang over Liam Dunne's future as Model County boss.

"We're there and we're there on absolute merit. We've a massive challenge ahead of us because Kilkenny have dominated every team so far, but I'm telling you, we're there, and we're there to take on Kilkenny."

Waterford and Derek McGrath won't be travelling to Croke Park to just make up the numbers against the Cats.

"We are in the last eight in Ireland and that's great. We really hope that it encourages the young lads in the county to go down to the football pitches and start practising. They want to get on to the county senior team and that will raise the standard of Clare football again. We want this to be every year."

The long-serving Gordon Kelly hopes Clare's run to the last eight of the Sam Maguire Cup race will inspire the next generation of Banner inter-county footballers.

"We didn't have the momentum today. That's where Clare had the upper hand. They came in on a winning streak. We came in on a really poor Connacht final and it caught up with us."

Roscommon were still suffering from their Connacht final replay hangover according to joint-manager Kevin McStay.

"I was having a poor season so I was due a good game."

Five points from play, Conor Sweeney came up trumps for Tipp against Derry in Kingspan Breffni Park.

"It's down to the players, it's all about the players. It's all about heart and commitment. The players won that game, nobody else. I take no credit for the last 10 minutes, it was all down to the players. It was their heart and their commitment, they just kept going and going. You can't coach that, it's either in them or it isn't and it is in them."

Premier boss Liam Kearns deflected all the praise on to his players.

"I thought the boys we have were absolutely fantastic. They gave their all today to put themselves back into a position to win the match. I just think the boys that we have had and have hung in since the Tyrone game have been awesome."

Despite their defeat, Damian Barton was adamant his Oak Leaf players could hold their heads high.

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