Conor Sweeney, who scored seven of Tipperary's points against Cork on Sunday, put it into words what it was like to win a Munster Championship.
Tipperary were 0-17 to 0-14 winners at Páirc Ui Chaoimh this afternoon. It was the Premier County's first Munster Championship success in 85 years.
"Absolutely delighted, over the moon to be honest," Sweeney said to Off The Ball post-match. "Just great to get over the line, small bit of pressure off. The performance is a bonus, the result is all that matters."
Sweeney has been a part of the Tipp inter-county setup since 2010. He was one of the Tipperary Under 21's that won the Munster Championship in the same year.
It was a different kind of celebration for the Tipperary team, given the fact that there were no spectators at Páirc Ui Chaoimh.
"To people that aren't here today, it's weird, it's disappointing for them. But we still have a job to do and I've no doubt they're all proud of us at home. It's not going to take away from our enjoyment of the occasion."
Congrats to @TipperaryGAA on lifting the trophy as @MunsterGAA Champions for the first time in 85 years!!! 🏆🏐🎉
📸 @LaszloGeczo 🇮🇪 #B100dySunday #GAA pic.twitter.com/G1GXtKeVOo— Inpho Photography (@Inphosports) November 22, 2020
Sweeney's man-of-the-match performance will grab headlines post-game, but a lot of the build-up was centered around the Bloody Sunday centenary.
In particular, Tipperary's choice to don a commemorative jersey replicating what the players wore on that day in 1920.
Sweeney said they weren't phased by the occasion pre-game. "As a player, we didn't focus too much on it pre-game, because we had a job to do".
Conor Sweeney on jerseys
As for the jerseys, Sweeney said they were prepared for that too. "We had that well discussed. We wore that jersey for the last week and a half at home in training. We weren't going to be put off by that."
The Tipperary outfit look ahead now to their All-Ireland semi-final meeting with Mayo in two weeks time. Sweeney knows what they're up against. "They're going to be a difficult team to compete with. It's fantastic."
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
