The Tipperary manager is struggling to contain his emotions, his eyes filled with tears.

Taking a mouthful of water, he puts his right hand to his throat, every effort made to maintain composure. Further pause.

“I know you are expected to win when you come here. I am not trying to minimise that. We tried hard to win, we came up here to win, but I do think there are more important things,” he says, the slightest quiver in his voice.

“The important things I believe are the men down in that dressing room who fought the battle to the end, who didn't flinch, who when things didn't go their way kept going.

“That is my understanding of sport. Sometimes you don’t always win. I said to them when Tipperary play now we really try until it is no longer possible.

“The players can be proud of that. They are shattered they didn't win. I am shattered.

“Important to say and I said it to the players is that they have really grown this year. They have grown as men in the way they approach the thing now.

“The project is and was to develop these players to be able to stand on their own and be able to compete, and although the game went against us I thought they competed ferociously and stayed in a game the opposition was playing better.

“You are involved to win, but that doesn't take away from a supreme effort that just didn't get us over the line.”

A supreme effort it may have been, but it fell short of the “formidable” performance churned out by Kilkenny.

Five unanswered points at the start of the second half sent Brian Cody’s charges on their way, the game’s crucial period according to O’Shea.

“Yeah, they certainly got a run on us and just dominated for that period. I suppose we didn't fully recover, to be honest,” he said.

“We battled, really battled hard, to stay in the game, but we were operating on bits and pieces. And the critical thing is they played the game on their terms, which is the right thing to do. We couldn't seem to open it up like we did the last day.

“That’s credit to them. So I can say this, that or the other about our performance, but you have to give huge credit to the opposition.

“We tried to create space and they probably bunched us a little in their half-back line. When you’re trying to force the issue it’s never any easier and that’s probably one of the things we’d regret.

“We could never impose the game we wanted to play.”

Why so, considering Tipperary had been successful in this regard three weeks ago?

“I don’t know. I just don’t have the answer now. I mean you can never figure out tactics when you play Kilkenny.

“They just went ferociously for the ball and I thought they closed down the space we wanted to create. I think we missed one or two chances, but again, on the balance of the game, they were ahead of us.

“We had a good three weeks preparing for the game. We taught we were in a position to win. Our game plan didn't work out as we would have liked, the way we wanted to play. You all know the way we wanted to play.

“They imposed their will. They are formidable. We can sit here and talk about what happened, but they really are an outstanding team.

He added: “We believe we are a very good team. Today we just couldn't get the result we wanted. But my belief is that we left the championship a better place.

“We worked really hard to get up to what we considered a top level. We achieved the level we wanted to hit in one game.

“I can’t tell you how hard the team worked to be the best they could. It doesn't come out in the result and doesn't show up in the scoreline, but in terms of what the team really did try to do I can only say they are a credit to sport.

“They are a credit in my view to Tipperary hurling albeit they didn't get the result today.”

On the decision to opt for a point when awarded a penalty on 56 minutes, O'Shea commented: “It was a rational decision. It does seem now they’'ll have to look at the penalty.

“It had no bearing on the result. The better team won today."