Referee’s Wee mistake has huge consequences
With time well up, Meath’s Joe Sheridan scored what seemed more like a try, that was counted as a goal, to deny the Wee County a provincial title they richly deserved.
The talking points about this ‘score’ are many. Should the full-time whistle have been blown before it was scored? Was there a square ball? Why didn’t the umpire put up the flag? Why didn’t the referee head for the dressing rooms after blowing the whistle? Why wasn’t the referee given more protection after the game instead of being left to be punched and jostled by irate fans?
It was all very unseemly and made all the worse as once again the underdog was blatantly robbed in appalling circumstances.
Like many more supporters in Thurles for the Munster SHC final I caught the last few minutes of the Leinster clash on television in the marquee at Semple Stadium.
Croke Park was the place to be for controversy but Thurles was a better place for entertainment and skill. While the first half was close without being spectacular, the second half was top class. We got four fine goals but Eoin Kelly’s strike will be remembered for generations. In a stadium that has seen many spectacular majors from the days of Ring and Mackey, to Fenton and Barry Murphy, Kelly’s goal, which revitalised Waterford, is up there with the very best.
As for the referee, at least, he had the good sense to blow the final whistle when he might have played a few extra seconds which could have given victory to either side. In the circumstances a draw was a fair result.
Many fans still believe that I am responsible for running the GAA especially the appointment and performance of referees. On leaving the grounds both Cork and Waterford fans complained to me that the referee was very unfair on their sides, adding, “Sean, you’d want to do something about the referees.”
Indeed, the referee was neither bad nor biased. Overall he did a very good job and neither team scored a winning try! Cork and Waterford have served up fantastic games in the past decade. Sunday’s was no exception. Another great game is in prospect on Saturday and a bumper gate is assured for the Munster Council.
ON the face of it, this has been a good week for Cork footballers. Their demolition of Cavan, helped get rid of the after effects of their replay loss to Kerry in Munster and reestablished them as a team of quality and potential.
Cork played some fine football and the return of Nicholas Murphy, who looked stronger than ever, was a welcome boost.
But Cavan did Cork no favours. Cavan either didn’t show up or else the gulf in standards is frightening. Sadly it would appear to be the latter.
I went to this game expecting far more from Cavan. In particular, I looked forward to seeing the great Seanie Johnson in live action for the first time. Alas I might as well have stayed at home. One worry from a Cork viewpoint is who can name their best starting 15? It’s all very well talking about a big panel with everyone fighting for places but all successful teams nearly select themselves after a while.
Having three or four going for the one position is fine from a competitive point of view but one of them has to be better than the others in fitting into the team and being able to deliver in the heat of battle. It’s make your mind up time for a settled undisputed best 15 where Cork are concerned. Last Saturday — despite the result — did little to answer that question.
IT has been an embarrassing season for Galway and their famous manager, Joe Kernan.
Apart from a less than convincing win over New York, this was a disastrous championship for the Tribesmen. They had two chances to beat Sligo and failed to do so at home or away. Then, despite their Pearse Stadium advantage they allowed Wexford come back and beat them in Saturday’s All-Ireland Qualifier.
The man who brought historic All-Ireland successes to Crossmaglen and Armagh must be gutted at Galway’s failure to fulfil their promise.
But Kernan is not alone. Two other All-Ireland winning managers of yesteryear also drew double blanks in this year’s championship. John O’Mahony’s Mayo and Mick O’Dwyer’s Wicklow both exited quickly, proving that you can have the most successful manager in the world but little will be achieved without the right material.
The rapid elimination of teams trained by great managers may cause a rethink in County Boards.
Appointing a high profile manager is a quick fix solution that creates a feel good factor but it’s no guarantee of success. Far more needs to be done to put structures in place that will lead to development over a period of years.
That’s what Tipperary were trying to do when they wanted John Evans to be both Director of Football and manager of their senior team. It made sense to me. But it was shot down by the powers that be. So we will continue to see results like we saw this year with O’Mahony, O’Dwyer and now Kernan. Three valuable resources not adequately utilised.
O’Mahony walked, Dwyer contemplates, what about Kernan?
THE Celtic Tiger seems so fleeting now.
We were well into it when we realised what was happening and we were just getting used to it when it was gone.
Towards the latter end of its existence, big developers began to approach GAA clubs. Their proposal was simple: sell us your grounds and we will build you new state of the art facilities for nothing on a green field site.
The most celebrated cases of such moves are Cork trio: Nemo Rangers were first out of the blocks. Then came Mallow and just before the Tiger breathed his last, Clonakilty got in on the act.
Others however were not so lucky with the Kerry County Board’s sale of Austin Stack’s Park, a case in point. Another club forced to shelve their plans is Douglas of Cork.
But is it all doom and gloom? Despite all these deals one question has remained unanswered: Can clubs move from their traditional heartlands and still maintain their community ethos and support?
Are Douglas GAA better off where they are, even though encumbered by lack of space or would a brand new future have awaited them if the move had been made?
Last Friday, Douglas held a gold classic to raise funds for the club. Judging by the fact that 60 teams took part, there is nothing wrong with their heartland with or without the Celtic Tiger. Nobody will be able to answer the question conclusively but the show goes on, unlike the Tiger who is dead and gone forever.
