Henry Shefflin rued Galway's inability to build on their blistering start against Limerick as they suffered a third All-Ireland semi-final defeat in four years against the Treatymen.
Galway recovered from the concession of an early Aaron Gillane goal to move six points in front by 26 minutes, a Cathal Mannion stunner hitting the back of the net and Evan Niland punishing Limerick indiscipline.
However, the Tribesmen's lead had been cut to one by the half-time whistle as Limerick shifted up a gear, and they took complete control after the restart by limiting Galway to 0-05 while hitting 1-12 at the other end.
'You can't play for 25 minutes in an All-Ireland hurling semi-final' - Henry Shefflin reflects on his Galway side's fast start and their inability to back it up pic.twitter.com/0FMpcIhIwS
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"We started very well and really felt we were playing on our terms but, as Limerick do, after 25 minutes they started to wrestle the game back to their terms," Galway manager Shefflin told RTÉ Sport.
"The defining moment was the second goal. Limerick had started the third quarter well and they probably kicked on from there. Their freshness, they grew into the game and got stronger as it went on. They were exceptional.
"We're very disappointed. We had scored 1-13 after about 25 minutes and were moving very well, but from there on Limerick took over the game."
Cathal Mannion scored a superb first-half goal for Galway
Galway caused Limerick major problems early on with their puckout strategy, while they were getting plenty of change from raining diagonal balls on top of Conor Whelan.
But once Limerick’s half-back line got on top, space and scoring opportunities were suddenly at a premium.
"We wanted to attack the game," said Shefflin. "After the last day, they probably felt they’d done their homework, that Cathal Mannion was sitting back and we’d play a plus-one, and they’d find a way around that.
"We said, 'let’s go for this’ and that’s the way we approached the game. It definitely caused them trouble early on but for some reason, and we’d have to look back at the tape, we didn’t perform to that level thereafter.
"You can’t play for 25 minutes in an All-Ireland semi-final. Limerick absolutely did. They thundered into the game and wrestled it back. There was only one winner from there."
Limerick manager John Kiely's praise wasn't reserved for his team, but a panel with genuine strength in depth
Shefflin admitted Galway were "putting out fires all over the place" after Limerick rejigged their approach, and John Kiely revealed it was his players who problem-solved, rather than the management team.
"We didn’t particularly do much on the sideline," said the Limerick manager. "We just let them at it, see how they could adjust themselves.
"We needed to up our work-rate, that was number one, and get a little bit more structure. The half-back line were struggling a little bit on their puckout. Once we got on top of that we didn’t look back."
Aaron Gillane netted in both halves for Limerick
Kiely was delighted with the impact of his bench, which has given him food for thought ahead of Limerick’s fourth successive All-Ireland final appearance on 23 July against Kilkenny or Clare.
"I'd be very happy with our overall performance," he said. "We worked really hard, used the ball well and took our chances when they presented themselves.
"The boys off the bench, for me that was one of the most pleasing aspects. They really put the game to bed, that’s what you’re looking for."
