Galway manager Henry Shefflin said he's unbothered by the fuss around his relationship Brian Cody and conceded that Kilkenny deserved to win Saturday's Leinster SHC final because they performed better on the day.
The Cats earned a third provincial title in a row with a 0-22 to 0-17 win at Croke Park as they avenged their defeat to Shefflin's Tribesmen in Salthill last month.
After the kerfuffle about Cody's icy handshake with his former captain in May, there was more post-match tension as the pair had a short exchange before Shefflin marched away shaking his head.
Speaking to RTÉ Sport afterwards, Shefflin insisted the focus on his rivalry with Cody was nothing he paid attention to.
"It doesn't bother managers," he said. "It's about players, and players performing on the field. Kilkenny were the better players today. That's really it."
Reflecting on his team's display, he added: "The round-robin had gone well, training over the last couple of weeks has been good, so you're looking forward to a performance in Croke Park on the biggest stage trying to get a victory in a Leinster championship.
"I'm disappointed for the players, I know they're feeling it as well but to be fair Kilkenny were deserving winners. That sense of disappointment is pretty profound in our dressing room.
"I just felt we didn't attack it enough, our defenders probably managed the tide a little but I just thought we'd no punch up front. We couldn't get going whatsoever. There'll be a lot of players disappointed with their performance but I the opposition plays a part in that as well.
"We'll get back on the training field and look forward to two weeks' time. You have to bring the hurt that's inside us tonight into that performance in two weeks."
Meanwhile Kilkenny's Mikey Butler admitted the loss in Salthill was "bitter".
"We knew coming up that Galway were going to throw everything at us, and they did," Butler told RTÉ Sport.
"They're an exceptional team. We were lucky to be on the right side of it today.
"It's savage. You wouldn't have a second or two to look and there'd be two, three Galway lads right up your back.
"We had very good training sessions. The defeat against Galway in Salthill was bitter, so we have one over on them there now."
🤝There was a bit of a wait but the sequel to the 'Handshake' did occur between Brian Cody and Henry Shefflin #RTEGAA #LeinsterFinal pic.twitter.com/GeChTXOBLq
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) June 4, 2022
