Galvin worried about handpass clampdown

If truth be told, Colm Galvin is more concerned about the keenness to stamp out thrown passes than the directive to referees to get tougher on high tackles, which Tony Kelly seemingly fell foul of last Saturday week.

“Ah look, Tony is only out of it for one match,” he said of his team-mate’s suspension arising from the Tipperary game.

“He mightn’t have been playing all the matches anyway. It just happened to be this match (v Kilkenny).

“Personally, I didn’t think it was a red card. Look, these things happen in hurling. It’s a sport we play. And he’ll be back for the next day.”

Inspired by former Tipperary full-back Conor O’Donovan, there is a movement to cut out illegal hand-passes. Galvin supports it but wonders if referees will be able to make such calls in the white heat of Championship.

“There were a lot of passes in the last couple of years where there was blatant throwing balls so it’s no harm to clamp down a small bit.

"But it’s going to be a finicky one come Championship when it’s a real crucial score and something happens and he blows it up.”

Whether it’s judging high tackles or hand-passes, Galvin appreciates no referee is the same.

On Sunday, Paud O’Dwyer blew frees against both Clare and Kilkenny for holding onto the ball too long when another match official mightn’t. That goes with the territory, says the Clonlara midfielder.

“You always try to play to the advantages that you know you might get away with one referee, but you won’t with another. Every team knows that.

Most referees are on the same path, especially now with this handpassing thing they are going to be looking out for the same things.

“Look, we are not really focusing on referees. We are focusing on what we can do on the field, and focusing on our hurling more so than referees.”

Rather than looking at last year’s Championship as a missed opportunity, Galvin says the camp drew hope from the campaign, describing the morale as “brilliant”.

“Last year we were happy with the way we played. We felt like we got a bit of a platform in how we were playing. Everything started moving well.

"It just so happened Galway beat us the second day. Look, we have a lot to build on, a lot of positives, we are just trying to go upwards and onwards from now.”

Clare are due to face Cork in Páirc Uí Rinn on Saturday week, a team that has been as much a thorn in their side as the Banner have been to Kilkenny.

“Yeah, well it’s a place that we haven’t had great success in the last two or three years. We will be going down hoping to put it right anyway.

"They are a serious side, they’ll be bouncing back after that Kilkenny game, so we’ll know what to expect from Cork.”