Ronan O'Gara said Dillon Quirke's death is "incredibly difficult to accept and make sense of" as he paid tribute to the young Tipperary hurler.
Mr Quirke was playing for his club Clonoulty-Rossmore against Kilruane MacDonaghs at Semple Stadium in Thurles on Friday evening when he collapsed.
He received medical attention on the pitch before being taken to Tipperary University Hospital in Clonmel, where he later died.
