Pat Hoban has praised his Kilkenny minor hurlers for not giving up on their All-Ireland dream.

The young Cats defeated Irish Press Cup holders Waterford after extra-time at Croke Park yesterday to qualify for the All-Ireland final on September 7, having been pilloried after losing their championship opener to Dublin by 0-3 to 2-8 in Nowlan Park at the end of April.

"We never stopped imagining this could happen," the Kilkenny manager said.

"You have to dream and that's what I keep telling the young lads. Every year, the dream is to get to an All-Ireland final and thankfully we're there.

"In fairness, the scoreline didn't reflect that game against Dublin. They got goals early and closed us out physically. We knew we were better than that and thankfully we've proven it." Tweet

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