Kelly a great ref, says O’Neill

GAA president Liam O’Neill has defended Barry Kelly in the wake of the Central Hearings Committee’s (CHC) decision not to punish Brian Cody for his remarks about the referee.

The Kilkenny manager described as “criminal” the decision taken by the Westmeath official to award Tipperary a free in injury-time of the drawn game last month.

O’Neill was away when Cody made the remarks. He said he had no opinion on the CHC decision and expressed his admiration for what Cody has achieved as Kilkenny manager. However, he also described Kelly as one of the best referees in the history of hurling.