Liam Sheedy lauded his Tipperary players after they rallied magnificently to see off Wexford.
They came from five points down after John McGrath’s sending off to score an epic 1-28 to 3-20 victory and set up yet another All-Ireland final with old rivals Kilkenny on August 18.
Sheedy said: “It's a difficult place to turn it around, when you are five points down and a man down and, look, there has always been questions about our character and could they really bring it.
“Did they have the pace? Did they have the energy and resolve? For the day that's in it, they answered that emphatically.
“This is a wonderful bunch. This is a bunch that has given me everything since November and they have been challenged.
“I'm just fortunate to have put a really solid team around them that has asked questions of them every night and the reason you did it is for days like today.
“A man down and five points down, it really was backs to the wall.
“I sit here today a really proud man because you don't coach that. That comes from the inner resolve that each of those guys has.
“What a contest. What a weekend of hurling it has been. What a spectacle again. I'm probably on an emotional high again here now because you go through all those emotions on the sideline. I'm just thrilled for this group.”
Sheedy accepted McGrath’s dismissal on the basis of it being two yellow cards, which means he’ll be free to play in the final.
But he said: “There is one referee, but there are two umpires at either end and there are two linesmen.
“I did feel that some of my players were being pulled and dragged.
“As a corner-forward, what do you do? Do you stand back and let it happen?
“The first yellow is really where the sending off came from. There was no malice in the flick.
“There was a bit of this going on. We came to play hurling but we certainly have no complaints with the sending off, none.”
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