Focus the key, insists captain Murphy

Somebody please explain that. Under the Hogan Stand euphoric Corkonians drift back to their dressingroom, while the Armagh team try to chart a course to the sanctuary of their lair. It is like holding a wake and a wedding in the same hotel.

The Cork women talk to radio and print journalists at every turn. Their level-headed captain, Juliet Murphy, says her few words just inside the tunnel. Much of her talk is drowned out by the incessant screaming of youngsters seeking a glimpse of their heroes. New household names on Leeside.

Murphy calmly sheds light on Cork's failure to explode from the blocks: "All credit to all the girls. They never let their heads down. They were always focused on winning the next ball.

"Eamon (Ryan, team coach) made the point beforehand that we would have to win this game grafting as it would probably go down to the wire. We kept faith in ourselves. Never panicked. Eventually we won't be able to pull it back and we will leave it too late. We were playing with fire there."

Ryan admitted to fearing the worst before the throw-in. By half-time the nightmare had almost become reality. So what turned the tide?

"It's something that is intrinsically in the team rather than something we put into the team," he said. "It's just their great character. There was nothing we (management) did in the second half that won the match. They won it . . . they kept going.

"Armagh must be very disappointed because they deserved a draw. Definitely."

Armagh captain Bronagh O'Donnell politely stops to talk. She refuses to make excuses, nor will she dwell on the consolation of pushing the raging-hot favourites in an All-Ireland final.

"When you're one point away there's no real consolation. When we wake up in the morning we'll know it was a good season, but not now.

"We were confident. We knew we had the players and the ability to beat them. We got a good start but, fair play to Cork, they came out all guns blazing in the second half and put us on the back foot. We just couldn't get enough force at the end."