Pointless latching onto Canning ball-hop
Friday, September 14, 2012
By Tony Considine
What’s all this fuss about Joe Canning and what he said?
Hysterical headlines aside, what was in it? So he claims that Henry Shefflin, in running after the referee to dispute a decision he didn’t agree with, was ‘unsportsmanlike’ — so what?
Remember the start of the Munster final replay of 1998, the shemozzle in midfield before the ball was thrown in? There was a great Clare character, Tom Mac, and what he said summed it up for me – “I often saw more pushing and shoving coming out after first mass in Crusheen!”
It was a Munster final, fellas were fired up, but the way people reacted you’d swear someone had been killed! What Tom would make of all this?
Before any big game, players and managers are jostling for position; that’s all that’s happening here. What surprises me is that it took so long for the mind-games to start, and after what Brian Cody had said about the referees before the drawn game there was no way Kilkenny were going to get in first this time.
I’d say Joe was well tutored before he went to Thurles — he was representing more than Bord Gáis! We all know Anthony Cunningham, Mattie Kenny and Tom Helebert make up a very astute management team — be sure this was all well thought out.
When we look at what Joe said though, I don’t think Barry Kelly was influenced by anyone last Sunday. He took no nonsense from any player from either side, and anything anyone tried, they didn’t get away with.
In general terms it was as good a display as we’ve seen from any referee in an All-Ireland final for many years. Maybe he gave a few soft frees but Joe knows better than anyone — Galway got the softest free of all, and it was the most crucial free of all. Did anything Brian Cody say in the last few weeks influence Barry there? Absolutely not.
Joe is right though in saying that Henry tries to influence the referee, and obviously Joe is learning from Henry. What is all this if not an effort by Joe himself to influence the referee for the next game? If, like Henry, Joe plays until he’s 33, that’s exactly what he’ll be trying to do, to use his reputation to influence the referee.
Didn’t all the greats do it, in all codes? Christy Ring, Mick Mackey, John Doyle and Eddie Keher in hurling, they were all brilliant players but don’t anyone try to tell me they didn’t try to influence referees during their long careers — of course they did.
Managers too try to influence the man in the middle and why wouldn’t they? Isn’t that part of their job? And isn’t it part of the job of the man in the middle to resist that pressure, as Barry Kelly did last Sunday?
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with it. Joe is doing his bit off the field here for Galway, just as Brian Cody or Anthony Cunningham will do/have done for their teams.
Remember all the effort that goes into getting to an All-Ireland final; how often does it come down to a very fine margin? Suppose it comes down to a referee’s call, how important is it that you’ve done whatever you can to make sure that decision falls your way?
It’s all part and parcel of the game, and always has been — the mind-games. What I’m wondering now — how long will it be before we get reaction from Kilkenny, if we get reaction. And even that could be part of the mind-games, Kilkenny keeping their counsel and their dignity, the high moral ground!
All I can say, thanks be to God for both Henry Shefflin and Joe Canning. Look what we have to look forward to now, after this!
Keeping it out there, that’s what Joe is doing, making sure the replay isn’t lost in all the hype of the football final over the next few weeks.
In the mind-games Joe is learning fast. This could backfire, it might not, and we won’t know until September 30th, but at least he’s throwing down the gauntlet, showing as much courage off the field as he does on it.
Showing a bit of cuteness too — the little comment about JJ Delaney, I think that was far more significant than anything else Joe said, sowing a few seeds among the Kilkenny lads themselves.
A Cannin’-ball I suppose you could call it!
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