Waterford selector Dan Shanahan lamented his side's defeat to Kilkenny in the All-Ireland hurling semi-final and admitted it was the fine margins on which the game was won and lost.
The Deise were beaten by two points in the replay and Shanahan went on to question whether Kilkenny were favoured because of their status as All-Ireland champions,
"Did Richie Hogan pick that last ball up off the ground?," he asked Newstalk Sport's Oisin Langan after the game. "I'll have to watch it again. You know Shane Fives got penalised last week and he didn't pick it off the ground. All them add up, being honest with you. All those little things add up.
"When you're not having the luck [sic] and you're not creating the luck it's hard to take sometimes. The champions seem to get those decisions, the underdog doesn't... I thought they got their frees easier than we did.
"I'm not pointing the finger at any fella, I'm just saying sometimes the underdog doesn't get as much as the champions do.
"There's certain things, I'd have to watch it again. I have to see, I think there were one or two decisions that we thought we might have got and we didn't get and they got."
Paul Murphy tackles Kevin Moran during yesterday's game. Image: ©INPHO/Donall Farmer
Waterford were ahead with three minutes plus stoppage time last week until Brian Cody's side scored a late goal to pull themselves back into the match. The game was forced to a replay in Thurles and the Waterford selector said that the current All-Ireland champions learned a lot from the opening game.
"Maybe it's the experience. The way they worked the ball, maybe they learned something last week. I'll have to watch the game again, when you're involved on the line in the game you don't see some things until you watch it again. But of course they're experienced, they're All-Ireland champions. Brian Cody is a fantastic man the way he keeps these lads fresh and hungry is unbelievable.
"They're in another All-Ireland final and we're devastated that we haven't. We should have reached it last week, I thought we should have reached it this week and we didn't.
"I didn't think there was much in the difference. I think we matched them again tonight. They were all saying Kilkenny were going to come out and do this and do that, but I think we matched them and gave them a game.
"It's devastating that we lost the game by a point because those lads are a fantastic bunch of lads and we should be playing extra time now if I'm honest.
"Maybe one or two decisions went against us but it happens, every fella makes mistakes. We're not blaming anyone, we wish Kilkenny the best of luck. You have to be man enough to take your beatings sometimes and we are. It's going to be hard to take, but you have to take it."
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