Paddy Stapleton admits the Tipperary defence was under pressure during Sunday's drawn All-Ireland final.

But the Premier County rearguard finished strongly and kept the Cats out for the last five minutes as they battled back with three unanswered points to force a replay.

"We had to try and do something," he notes in The Irish Times. "We were after letting a couple of balls in. Personally, you'd be disappointed with a couple of the goals that went in so we knew we had to fight to the end.

"But it was just ball after ball. If you thought any more about it you'd probably just get swallowed up. Because you know it's 50-50 with your man beside you. It's probably the same for a junior hurler playing a junior championship match. The mindset is no different. The next ball comes and you try to get it.

"And Eamon and the backroom team have that well instilled in us, to keep going, keep playing the ball, 10 points up, 10 points down, five points up or down. We have to do the same things. And I think we stayed true to that, attacked every ball, forwards and backs. Of course Kilkenny were the same.

"I suppose if you were four points down, with 10 minutes to go, and you were offered a draw, you'd have taken the hand off and all.

"And then you get the free to win it. But look, that's the sort of free that's going to be scored only every couple of goes. I don't think we're going to be that disappointed really. We came back, showed great fighting spirit, and off we go again."

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