Cork boss Gerald McCarthy said he was 'ripping mad' with the match officials as he made his way off at half-time but by the time he closed the dressingroom door he had adopted a different attitude. "It wasn't the time for anger or shouting. It was a time for calmness and the need to work out what needed to be done.

"Sure, there were things we weren't happy about but we still had time to do something about it. I told them Galway had managed just two scores from play, that we were hurling far better than them. "We knew the open space created by being a man down could work in our favour if we used the ball well and just concentrated.

"In fairness, they did all that in the second-half and the end result was one of the most committed performances ever by a Cork team," said McCarthy.

He said Joe Canning threatened to beat Cork on his own and he was praying in the closing minutes that the Portumna youngster, playing in his first major championship game for Galway, would not get possession.

And McCarthy confirmed that dismissed goalkeeper Donal Og Cusack had fired up the side with a stirring speech during the interval.

"Donal Og gave a few words to the lads before they went back out onto the field for the second half, and I tell you, it was heartwarming," he said.

The Cork boss was delighted with his side's response to recent criticism and paid tribute to his players for adapting to Galway's extra man.

"Galway obviously had a ploy of using the spare man in the back line to cover off any breakaway for a goal, but with the skill our lads have we didn't need a goal," he added.

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