Kirwan did a fantastic job

I WANT to compliment whoever made the following decisions at Croke Park yesterday: (1) the band playing the national anthem, the voices coming only from the crowd; (2) the common sense that prevailed at the end of the game, when the crowd broke the cordon on Hill 16 and the decision was made to move the presentation back to the Hogan Stand, thus allowing the Kilkenny supporters to do what has always been done traditionally on All-Ireland final day in Croke Park and mix with the players; (3) and this one is crucial – the appointment of Diarmuid Kirwan as referee.

This was a big game, was always going to be a hard-hitting game, could have been destroyed by a petty referee – Diarmuid Kirwan let it flow, and the spectacle was all the better for that. I know there’s a bit of upset in Tipperary over a couple of decisions, but those were calls made in an instant, without the benefit of any replay – overall, I thought he did a fantastic job.

The match? Moderation is fatal, nothing succeeds like excess – Kilkenny fit that bill. When I talk about excess here, I’m talking about four All-Ireland titles in-a-row, I’m talking about four Leinster titles in-a-row, I’m talking about a team that hasn’t lost a championship match in four seasons – that’s excess, isn’t it?