Brian Gavin: Seán Hurson was cool and calm and got the big final calls right

For a few years now, referees have been instructed to be vigilant about players in possession holding their tacklers

Mon, 25 Jul, 2022 - 06:10

After a hurling final as good as we enjoyed, the conclusion of the inter-county football year had a lot to live up but Kerry and Galway provided a game of real enjoyment and quality.

It was a massive game for Seán Hurson, which could be boiled down to two main incidents. I’ll come to the free against John Daly in a moment but in chronological order was it a black card Galway goalkeeper Connor Gleeson for his foul on Killian Spillane? I don’t think so. Gleeson took a hold of Spillane by the jersey more than bringing him down with his arms.

Of course, it was cynical and Gleeson knew exactly what he was doing but a pull like that is not included in the prescribed list of fouls in the rulebook. Now, if the GAA want to put it in there after an incident like this then by all means the playing rules committee should look at doing it for Congress or Special Congress but Seán did the right thing in giving the free and not showing the card.

Galway were aggrieved that Daly was whistled for a free when he was the man in possession in the 67th minute, trying to keep Killian Spillane away from the ball. David Clifford scored from the free and Kerry didn’t look back from there but I could see why Seán gave the free against the Galway centre-back.

For a few years now, referees have been instructed to be vigilant about players in possession holding their tacklers in the hope of buying a free. It was a harsh one on Daly but he was acting in a way that led Seán to believe he was doing exactly that.

Kerry would argue that they themselves were unfortunate to have a free scored against them in the 64th minute when Gavin White performed a perfectly legal shoulder on Cillian McDaid. The problem with that is McDaid collided into Jack Barry and as the Galway midfielder was sandwiched and had no opportunity to fall from the tackle it was a free.

Seán was cool and calm and allowed the teams to play as much as possible. However, his umpires were poorly positioned when HawkEye was called in the fifth minute. Seán was right to book David Clifford for his loose hand on Seán Kelly when the ball wasn’t in the vicinity.

Graham O’Sullivan was booked following an accidental trip but the yellow itself was for persistent fouling. Cathal Sweeney picked up Galway’s first in the closing stages and it was needless and really impacted on Galway’s search for a score.

Overall, it was good to see new faces like Seán’s make the big games, although the standard of officiating hasn’t been as high this year as in the previous couple of years. There weren’t too many tough games either and that might have to do with more teams simply putting players behind the ball rather than going out to compete one-on-one for the football.

Finally, I couldn’t go without a few words about Brian Cody. People tell me on a regular basis that Cody loved me because his Kilkenny sides won a lot of games I refereed. That was purely coincidental, of course. I was officiating big games when his great Kilkenny team were in them and in their pomp.

The only team Cody and myself were on was the one that championed tough and fair hurling. They brought it to the edge time and time again but they didn’t overdo it. I was in charge of the 2016 final when Tipperary beat them and I later joked with him that he should have brought on Jackie Tyrrell and by that stage he could take it in good jest.

I never had a bad word with Cody. It was a privilege to referee games in which his teams played and I wish him and his family the best for the future.