Joe Murphy addressed the enthusiastic Carlow contingent among a crowd of some 10,000. Having led Eire Og to a fifth Leinster title this decade and concluded three gruelling encounters with Dublin champions Kilmacud Crokes, Murphy - maybe unwittingly - isolated the main difference between the sides.

After making the customary gracious remarks about the defeated opponents, Murphy added that he was sure the success wasn't begrudged because: "Ye got your All-Ireland (in 1995) and we desperately, desperately want ours."

Eire Og had played with all the zeal of men with unfinished business and now contemplate another crack at bringing home the Andy Merrigan Cup which has eluded them in three All-Ireland finals (including a replay) this decade.

Manager Pat Critchley is the third coach to lead the club to a Leinster title and he identified that ambition as being at the heart of his efforts since taking over. "In the beginning, a lot of them thought the All-Ireland was over for them having gone out early last year and it took a while for me to persuade them that it was still there."

Murphy, hugely impressive at wing back, echoed the thoughts of many watching his team's sparkling first-half display: "The guys really turned the clock back in the first 25 minutes. There's a deep hunger here to win this All-Ireland and we regarded today as an All-Ireland quarter-final. We knew what we were capable of and that on our day, we're a match for anyone. We proved it today."

Garvan Ware has been on board all voyage - in fact an unpunished foul on him in the 1993 final is widely regarded in Carlow as having cost them that All-Ireland. Yesterday the Dublin-based Garda was unequivocal.

"That was the sweetest of all," he said. "We were very lucky the first day not to lose by five or six points and the second day we had to come from a point down in injury-time. We knew their forwards were very good but we knew ours were equally lethal with a supply of ball."

Kilmacud manager Robbie Kelleher was critical of the pitch although careful not to use it as an alibi. "We're making no complaints, but it's a shame that the Leinster final is played on a pitch of that poor quality.

"That's not an excuse. We were completely outplayed in the first half and although Conor Deegan (switched from full back to centre-field) steadied us a lot around the middle in the second half, unfortunately not a lot of the possession went over the bar."