Derek Lyng rues Cats' failure to dig claws in when on top of Tipperary
Sunday's semi-final exit means their wait for Liam MacCarthy will extend to 11 years, the longest since hurling's roll-of-honour leaders first claimed the All-Ireland title in 1904.
Derek Lyng, a six-time winner under Brian Cody as a player, led the Cats to the final in his first year after inheriting the throne in 2023, but saw his team depart at the last-four stage for the second year in a row after a 4-20 (not 4-21) to 0-30 defeat to Tipperary at Croke Park today.
The six-in-a-row Leinster champions had recovered from a half-time deficit of 3-11 to 0-16 to lead against 14 men after Darragh McCarthy was sent off but let it slip as their old rivals fought back to win with a stunning goal from Oisín O'Donoghue.
"It's a tough one to take," Lyng told RTÉ Sport, speaking before it emerged Kilkenny had lost by two points rather than the three displayed on the scoreboard.
"It will be a tough one to take for Kilkenny supporters, and the players as well. They're a devastated group in there.
"When you concede three [goals] before half-time, you're always going to be under pressure. I thought we started the game very well. We were managing the game pretty well to that point, and maybe a sense of panic when the first goal went in, I'm not sure.
"But credit to our players, I thought they responded really well, particularly in the second half. It looked like we got control of the game again.
"But conceding the fourth goal, you're going to have to do an awful lot to win a semi-final when you concede four. I would have been disappointed with the goal. I think we had the ball, we lost the ball, had it again maybe.
"Sometimes when you go down a man, the effort just ups and you chase everything down. We weren't urgent enough then to use the spare man better."
Kilkenny's points total was a record in a semi-final that didn't go to extra-time but they rarely threatened the net, apart from a late John Donnelly effort that Robert Doyle cleared off the line.
Full-time: Kilkenny 0-30 Tipperary 4-20 - It's Tipperary who will take on Cork in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship final after late drama where Robert Doyle makes a last-ditch save on the line to deny John Donnelly. pic.twitter.com/ygeYvkm4Fd
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 6, 2025
Whether extra-time would have been mistakenly played or a one-point win to the Cats confirmed is a scenario the GAA will be relieved didn't occur.
"Disappointed with that [the lack of goals]," Lyng admitted. "It was a game I felt we were going to need maybe a goal or two as well. That's credit to Tipperary as well and how they defended.
"Overall, 30 points is not bad shooting at all. If I was asked before the game, if we hit 30 points, we would have said we wouldn't have been too far off it. Unfortunately, it's just a few too many let in the other side.
"I felt in the second half we kind of let Tipperary back into the game a few times with a few frees. We're not criticising anybody, we got our own frees as well.
"And maybe our touch just deserted us at crucial times and gave a little bit of momentum back to Tipperary. It's at those times, you really need to have that killer instinct and just get a score or two to justify when you're dominating their puck outs and that.
"Ultimately, it wasn't good enough at the end. At the same time, our players kept going, kept fighting. John [Donnelly] had a shot at the end, with a bit of luck it could have went in. But that's the game."
Kilkenny manager Derek Lyng admits that he's disappointed with some of the scores and frees his side conceded in their All-Ireland SHC defeat to Tipperary. #SundayGame #RTEGAA pic.twitter.com/HD8hIaF5Ja
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 6, 2025
Lyng remains confident that there is an All-Ireland in this team in the near future.
"They're a great group of players and it's just fine margins. I thought, to a man, they fought really diligently in the second half.
" I'm very proud of the effort our players put in all year.
"There's players coming in that dressing room as well who didn't play today and lads that came on and there's a big future ahead for a lot of them as well.
"Unfortunately, sport is tough at the highest level and you just have to take that on the chin. We have to learn from it and those lads have to get back."
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