Kilkenny manager Brian Cody praised his team's resolve after they were "given no chance" at the beginning of the 2017 championship.
Cody's side overcame a seven-point deficit with seven minutes remaining to force extra-time in Saturday evening's Round 2 qualifier against Waterford in Thurles.
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Extra-time goals from Jamie Barron and Maurice Shanahan enabled Waterford to lift the burden of history and defeat Kilkenny in the championship for the first time since 1959.
Speaking to the Sunday Game, Cody paid tribute to his players for salvaging extra-time from a seemingly impossible position in the final minutes of normal time.
"We were given no chance by anybody to do anything this year. But we went down fighting in a big way tonight and I think we should tremendous character in doing that," Cody said.
It is the earliest that Kilkenny have departed the championship since 1996 when the competition was still a straightforward knockout and Wexford defeated them in the Leinster semi-final on 2 June.
