Tipperary manager Liam Kearns had no complaints following their semi-final exit at the hands of Mayo.

The Kerry native couldn't have asked more from his players but they just came up short against Division 1 opposition.

"I think they gave a massive performance," he remarked to RTE's 'The Sunday Game'.

"They showed what they're all about, their heart, their commitment, their drive, their passion to play good football. I think they left it all out there.

"The depth of our panel has probably been an issue for the whole campaign and it probably finally caught up with us. We lost two to injuries, we lost one to a black card and we had a man sent off. They brought on quite a few players off the bench who made a difference.

"But, as I said, my boys never bent the knee, they never gave it up. They left everything out there and I'm really proud of them, as proud of them today as I was when they beat Galway three weeks ago."

What will this year's run to the last four of the Sam Maguire Cup race do for the promotion of gaelic football in Tipperary?

"It won't do anything unless we come back and repeat what we've done this year. We've got to get back to a semi-final, we've got to get back to the last eight and we've got to come back and play on this stage again because that's what it's about.

"They realise that and they need to build on this. It can't be a once-off. If it's a once-off then really it won't have benefitted the county the way it should."

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