"I'm gutted with that result today. There's no other way to describe it. I really felt we were going to win."

Davy Fitzgerald and Clare fell through the Division 1A relegation trapdoor.

"That was a serious game of hurling. Obviously, staying up in the top division was important to both teams, and it showed."

Brian Cody was a relieved man following the Cats' one point win.

"We don't consider that a factor at all, players know it's very simple, if one can't play, someone else will."

Eamon O'Shea says Tipperary will cope with the absence of the suspended Seamus Callanan in the semi-final against Waterford.

"All credit to my lads, they battled hard away in the second half and I know we had numerical advantage but we said at half-time that there was going to be no throwing in of the towel because we have done too much work to do that."

Brian Whelahan was proud of the battling qualities displayed by Offaly in the second-half against the Premier County.

"We didn't have a good day at the office here the last day (v Cork), so it was nice to come back here again. We had an opportunity to qualify for a league semi-final. That was the focus."

Dublin manager Ger Cunningham will renew acquaintances with his native Cork in the last four.

"I can't put my finger on it. Clearly we were off the pace. The intensity wasn't there. We didn't get the tackles in. We were just well out-hurled in both halves."

Limerick below-par performance left TJ Ryan puzzled.

"They are a very good team and it will be a different game completely. We know that match was no reflection of Dublin's ability. We saw them against Limerick, we all saw them against Galway."

Jimmy Barry-Murphy expects Dublin to come out with a point to prove in the semi-final.

"It is all about taking your chances at this level, being more clinical and we definitely were not clinical today."

Wexford's shooting let them down against the Rebel County according to Liam Dunne.

"It's a game-to-game situation. Against Limerick we played deep but we didn't play as defensive as we did today or as against Wexford."

Waterford manager Derek McGrath came up with a defensive gameplan that stifled Galway's attack.

"We needed to play better in the first half, but just didn't want it enough. That was the big difference. There's no hiding from that."

His Galway counterpart Anthony Cunningham had no excuses.

Tweet

Most Read Stories