Kilkenny manager Derek Lyng confirmed that words were exchanged in his dressing room when the county found themselves six points down to Offaly at half-time of their Division 1A Allianz Hurling League clash at UPMC Nowlan Park on Sunday.
Offaly dominated a first half played out in strong winds at the venue, taking a 0-14 to 0-08 lead into the break against a lacklustre Kilkenny side.
Lyng's team needed a big showing in the second half, and they delivered, with Eoin Cody's brilliant 48th-minute goal helping them on their way to an eventual 1-26 to 1-19 victory.
Asked afterwards if he shared harsh words with his team at the interval, Lyng confirmed that this was the case, but added that his players were equally vocal as they looked to plot a way back into the game.
"There were words alright in the dressing room but that comes from the players as well," Lyng told RTÉ Sport.
"We were frustrated at how we performed but it's not going to be perfect at this time of year. Sometimes, we overdid it and we had a few wides as well and that added to the frustration on the players' behalf.
"We attacked the second half, went at it a bit better, took our opportunities, thankfully that was enough."
Lyng also admitted that Kilkenny were lacking the work-rate and intensity that has been synonymous with the county's hurlers over the years but he gave his players credit for their second-half turnaround.
"We were just off it that little bit," added Lyng. "In fairness to the players, the attitude is very good and I think they would have been disappointed themselves at half-time.
"Look, the second half was better in that regard, we started winning more ball and started moving it faster, gave the forwards an opportunity and we tapped on a few scores. Thankfully, that was enough."
Walter Walsh played his part in the turnaround after coming on in the 26th minute but he had to be withdrawn again in the 57th minute due to injury.
"He has a strain," Lyng said of the three-time All-Ireland winner. "We're not sure how serious it is, hopefully it's not too bad. He performed well when he came on but hopefully it's just a couple of weeks. We'll assess it over the next few days anyway."
Walsh will have a fortnight to recover before Kilkenny take the field again, when they come up against Clare at Cusack Park on Sunday 10 March.
Both sides are locked on five points at the top of the Division 1A table, after Clare were held to a draw against Wexford on Sunday.
