"This is not about having to beat Mayo at all costs. This game was never going to define our season. This time last year it would have, all the eggs were in one basket last year. We've set certain targets for us and this was another game along the way towards our targets."

Beating Mayo is not the be-all and end-all as far as Galway manager Kevin Walsh is concerned.

"That's step one. There is no point beating Mayo if we can't win a Connacht title. It would be brilliant for this team."

Damien Comer was singing from the same hymn sheet as his manager.

"I'm tremendously proud of the effort that the lads put in there, but ultimately we've just come up short. We've got to take that on the chin, dust ourselves and get ready for a route in the back door."

14-man Mayo just came up short against their arch rivals and manager Stephen Rochford hopes they can regroup through the back door system.

"Once you get the body right, and get the head right, the football will come and I should be in a good place."

A fit and healthy James O'Donoghue could have a big impact on Kerry's summer.

"We parked it an moved on. There was enough talk about it and it was nice to be concentrating on the football today."

The action on the field was a nice distraction for Eamonn Fitzmaurice following Brendan O'Sullivan's failed drug test.

"They have an appetite for it. If you are an inter-county footballer that's where you want to be. Hopefully we will do that again now."

Clare boss Colm Collins is confident his players can build on their gutsy display against the Kingdom.

"The players took control of the dressing-room. They knew the performance wasn't good enough. They are very critical of themselves and very hard on themselves. I thought the response when Tipp scored the goal was fantastic and then to ride it out."

Peadar Healy and the Rebels will have to up their game considerably ahead of a provincial final date with their next door neighbours.

"It was a huge blow because he was only starting to get into the game."

The loss of Michael Quinlivan to injury against Cork was lamented by Tipperary manager Liam Kearns.

"It was a good ball in [from Owen Duffy] and Conor stuck it away well which you would expect from him. There's no doubt it gave us that wee bit of breathing space. Before that Cavan were always able to go up and get frees and tag on a few points. We had to be patient and the boys have played enough championship matches to know there's ebbs and flows to it."

Conor McManus' goal was the difference against Cavan and the Farney County's Malachy O'Rourke expected nothing less from his star attacker.

"Both teams went at it, welcome to Ulster championship football, I loved every minute of it. The important thing is that this is not the end for Cavan, we go into the qualifiers now and they can go as far as they want."

Despite the result, Mattie McGleenan enjoyed his first championship outing as Cavan manager.

"We probably got a bit scared when we saw the winning line. We have to take into consideration that we've won one Leinster Championship match in ten years so it's not going to come that easy."

A lack of experience cost Pat Flanagan and Offaly in the closing stages of their Leinster SFC local derby.

"There's nothing going to be in it either way. It will stand to both teams next day and you'll probably see it a bit more free-flowing. I don't expect anything different from Offaly. They want to beat us as much as we want to beat them."

Westmeath captain Ger Egan expects another close encounter against the Faithful County next Saturday.

"I knew when we got hit with a couple of goals it was going to take a certain moment to really get everyone going again. Luckily Mark Fanning pucked the ball down my way and I caught it and put it over the bar. Another day it could have been somebody else, there's a lot of leaders in this team."

Lee Chin's second-half catch and point epitomised Wexford's defiance in the face of Kilkenny's comeback.

"There response to our goals was very, very strong. There's no excuses."

The qualifiers beckon for Brian Cody and the Cats.

"I think it's time for me to retire!"

Wexford selector Seoirse Bulfin will gladly hand the bainisteoir bib back to Davy Fitzgerald.

"I was nervous. I was nervous until maybe five minutes to go because just what Antrim have done over the past number of games. They just kept coming back and coming back and to be fair that's great credit to them, but we knew that we would have to be seven or eight points ahead to actually get ourselves over the line."

Former Tipp star Colm Bonnar guided Carlow to Christy Ring Cup glory over Antrim.

"The game was still in the balance (at half-time), but I just told the players to be patient and that the openings would come. We have a strong bench and that told."

Collie McGurk and Derry got the better of Armagh in the Nicky Rackard decider.

"We thought we were a little bit fitter than them; we held our never and that's how it turned out."

With former Antrim star Liam Watson pointing the way, Tony Joyce and Warwickshire emerged victorious over Leitrim in the Lory Meagher Cup final.

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