"They're like no one I've managed before” – Kelly

Loughmore/Castleiney manager Eamonn Kelly admitted his relief at hearing Alan Tierney’s final whistle which signalled their fifth time as county senior hurling champions.

"It's great. It's fantastic to get across the line. It's a relief,” he began.

“It was a tough game, which we knew we'd get. It's an old cliché but goals win matches, and we got the goals at the crucial times we needed them."

Both teams got major impact from the benches, but Loughmore/Castleiney garnered 1-4 from their four subs, three of whom contributed to those while Eoin O’Connell played the vital role in the first goal which broke the game open.

"We needed it,” Kelly admitted of Paul McCahey’s 57th minute strike.

“We were saying that we needed a goal because they were defending well. We got through maybe two or three times in the first half, and we didn't finish them off.

“Eoin O'Connell is a young fella who started all the games, but he didn't make the last couple. And Paul McCahey, they're both only 19 years of age but they made a huge impact."

Toomevara responded to that late set-back with a superb Conor O’Meara goal which set-up a grandstand finish before John McGrath quelled any hopes they had of snatching something from the game.

"I wasn't expecting to get away from them,” Kelly said of the Toomevara challenge.

“Nobody has gotten away from them. They've been very competitive all year. They're a club with massive tradition but they have a new bunch coming now again.

“Underage in North Tipperary, I think they were nearly in every final. They're coming like a train, and they'll be a force to be reckoned with in time."

In a game of massive workrate from both sides, it was epitomised by the fact that Toomevara’s star man Darragh McCarthy was held to one point from play, a combination of good defending and little quality ball coming his way.

"That's what we were trying to focus on and that's what probably got us here today -- our work-rate,” Kelly added.

“Against Thurles Sarsfields, they weren't able to get the quality ball in either.

“Lorcan Egan did a quality job on him (Darragh) and Brian McGrath was there for every break off it. Darragh is a fantastic hurler and he'll have big days in Thurles again."

Despite Loughmore/Castleiney being to the forefront of club hurling in recent years, this was just their fifth county senior hurling title, with Noel McGrath having four of them going back to his first medal as a seventeen year old in 2007.

"Noel is a class act, and that meant as much to him as any medal that he has won,” Kelly said.

“He really wanted this one today. He's here with his son Sam and he was talking about wanting to get that picture with the Dan Breen and his son. I'm so happy that he's going to get that."

He added: We have 36 fellas on the panel and every one of them are just really sound fellas. They're a dream to be involved with and I'm fortunate that I got the opportunity to do that.

"They're like no one I've managed before. They're just an absolute dream. Five subs came on today and we probably have five more who could have come on as well. They won't have any long faces. They'll just come back to the field and drive on the rest of the guys."