Hunger was never an issue for Clare going into tonight's All-Ireland U21 HC final according to Man of the Match Tony Kelly.

"We're starving always down in Clare, we always look to win stuff," he said to TG4. "Hunger is not a question with this panel of players.

"It doesn't even have to be mentioned by the management team, we just want to win every day we got out and today was no different. A win was all we wanted."

In his acceptance speech, captain Kelly - who shot seven points - made special reference to team-mate Gearoid O'Connell whose father Gerry tragically died recently following a farm accident.

"His father passed away last Wednesday night and he was out pucking a ball, getting ready on Thursday morning," explained the Hurler of the Year.

"That's just the dedication that lad has. He came into training on Sunday night and his attitude towards training and life in general just inspired the rest of us.

"If anything I think it brought us closer together the whole panel. It just shows the character of the man to come through something like that and tog out for Clare this evening."

Joint-manager Donal Moloney was fulsome in his praise of Wexford's "never-say-die" performance.

"I thought Wexford were absolutely fantastic. We had braced ourselves for an incredible game and it turned out like that. We just couldn't get away from them.

"Wexford should be really proud of that team because they have some superb hurlers but, more importantly than that, they have a never-say-die attitude, they just kept coming at us."

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