After games like this you don't ask Mick O'Dwyer for a comment, you just wait for him to make it. For the man who has seen it all not even this late late show leaves him short of an honest word.

"Ah sure isn't it more money for the association," says the old maestro, laughing. "You never know what's going to happen in those situations, but it was the referee's decision and he chose to blow it up.

"But we're not out of the championship yet and that's the most important thing. I think our players performed very well, and we also have a lot of them coming back from injury.

"So I think that game will do us all the good in the world. We had one hard game against Louth but I think that game will bring us on a whole lot more.

"Of course it's a little bit disappointing as well, because we would have liked to have been straight into a Leinster final, and had four weeks to rest. But sure, as they say, there is no rest for the wicked."

We ask what went wrong in the second half.

"Well, the penalty was the deciding factor, but there was never too much between the teams, even though we had the lead at half-time.

"Under the conditions, I think it was a good game of football overall. Maybe got the right end of some decisions out there, but that's part of the game."

For Padraig Nolan, the Offaly manager, the first word goes to Kildare.

"You know, in the build-up to this game some people were writing off Kildare," he says. "But at no stage did we write them off, because anyone who gets on their team ahead of Glenn Ryan and Padraig Brennan has to be a good footballer. They are still a top-class team.

"But there was a very strong wind out there. We were eight points down at half-time, but there was no way I felt the game was gone from us.

"It just meant that we had a steeper slope to climb in the second half than I would have wanted.

"And we got a good start in the second half. They still got a couple more crucial scores but I thought we kept chipping away - the game was still there for us. Maybe we were lucky to get the draw in the end, but maybe we could have won it."

There is greater relief in his tone of voice. "Sure, I'm delighted to get out with a draw. We had chance there at the end with Vinnie (Claffey) but under the conditions we still have to be happy with 1-9 . . . with the wind it wasn't easy, because players ended up kicking into the corner.

Time though, or the lack of it, was not a problem for Nolan - even though his side were playing with the wind and probably the greater force in those closing moments.

"Well that's the referee's decision, and he can decide how much extra time to play. I know the rules and it's always at his discretion. But it's great that both sides can come back and fight another day.

"I don't worry about what the referee does because I have my own job to do.

"And it's up to you guys to comment on it. I've certainly no complaints.

"It will be good preparation for us too because everyone believes that the real Leinster final is in Croke Park next Sunday. Another game will help us get ready for that. And we will have to improve a lot more again if we're going to be in that Leinster final."