Dazed by the brilliant ultra white

Kind words murmured through the heavy quiet. The Munster champions change back into street clothes, a season behind them. They sit on benches beneath the New Stand as though dazed from staring too long into the brilliant white which was splashed across the Hill and all through the stands.

Thoughts are articulated with difficulty and most offer good tidings to football's latest flames.

"In fairness to Kildare, our lads were under pressure throughout and it just didn't happen for us," sighs Seamus Moynihan. "They played well from the word go, and at half-time we had it all to do and while we never really rose to it, Kildare harried us and cleared their lines all afternoon.

"We didn't seem to respond as we have done on other occasions, even after the goal, it just never happened for us," Moynihan said.

Mike Frank Russell was fulsome in his praise of the opposition. "I don't want to detract at all from Kildare, they were magnificent. We expected them to come at us like that and they brought the same emotional wave that Cavan did last year. They played a great game and we lost out. That's how it goes."

Paidi O Se is in sombre mood. "We have no problems. We are naturally very disappointed that it didn't happen, but, you know, we left no stone unturned, it wasn't to be and now we just wish Kildare the best." O Se paced the sideline with that upright, economical stride, just yards away from the loping, wizened visage of his old mentor.

If a teary moment passed between himself and Mick O'Dwyer, it shall remain sacrosanct. "Ahh, I just congratulated him, wished the man the best. What more could I do?", he offers, flashing the famous gap-tooth grin.

And what of the disallowed goal?

"I didn't really see what happened. The umpire on the green-flag side of the goal was very positive about putting it up and I thought then it would be allowed but after consultation - when people go into consultation, you know that decisions won't go your way - and when I saw that I knew it wouldn't be allowed," said O Se. Barry O'Shea departs slowly, young limbs aching after a frantic afternoon. "We were just bombarded at the back," he says with a grimace. "For the whole game, there were just so many of them coming at us. They were certain to score just by volume of possession and we didn't take the chances we normally do," he shrugs.

Countless times, he brushed shoulders with Karl O'Dwyer.

"Once the ball went in, he was just another player. And to be fair, he did well. We didn't get the breaks out there today. But we are all young enough to be back." aidi O'Se smiles, thanks them, and hops onto the team bus. Then they're gone.