Brian Gavin: Seamus Flanagan hit would have been a red in most sports
TOUGH TACKLING: Conor Prunty of Waterford in action against Seamus Flanagan of Limerick during the Munster Championship round 1 match at FBD Semple Stadium in Thurles. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
First things first, it was unusual to see refereeing matters making the headlines away from games in the last couple of weeks. You could fill a column on those topics alone as you could on the match in Thurles on Sunday given so much happened in it.
Limerick will be thankful for coming away with the win as they might be to finish the game with 14 men when they could have lost two more. Seamus Flanagan’s tackle on Stephen Bennett was a red card offence and it didn’t seem Liam Gordon dealt with it at the time.
Limerick have already incurred two retrospective suspensions this year and a third would raise more questions about their discipline but Flanagan’s hit would have been a red in most sports. It was late and dangerous and he may end up missing the next game against Clare as a result.
Barry Nash’s misjudged use of the hurl against Bennett was indeed a yellow card as it was just careless. But how he remained on the pitch after the tackle on Jack Fagan was a mystery. At the very least he should have picked up a second yellow.
Gearóid Hegarty was sent to the line for a second yellow card. There will be no suspension but you can be sure there will be a lengthy ban for the Waterford backroom official who struck Hegarty after the incident with Conor Gleeson.
Ten yellow cards for players, reds for Hegarty and that Waterford man as well as a booking for a doctor and a hurley/water carrier, there was a rash of them and it may have had something to do with Liam not getting on top of the game early on.
Two unforgiveable incidents were the decisions not to penalise Aaron Gillane for square balls, the first in the opening half after which Waterford goalkeeper Billy Nolan required attention and then prior to Limerick’s second-half penalty. Gillane was clearly in the area with Conor Prunty before the ball came in and it should have been a Waterford free out.
The umpires seemed in bother early on when HawkEye had to be used. Tried as Liam did with issuing deserved yellow cards in the first half, it was clear there was pressure on him. After a fine league final, he will know this is not the standard required for championship.
The game in Ennis was billed to be a bruiser but Thomas Walsh’s common sense lended to a free-flowing game. He had an excellent game and is going places. The big moment for him was issuing a black card to David McInerney for preventing a goal-scoring chance for Tipperary and he was on the money with it.
In Salthill on Saturday, there were early flashpoints too when Conor McDonald and Brian Concannon were booked. Daithi Burke’s penalty-conceding foul on Liam Óg McGovern could have earned him a black but Seán Stack probably made the correct decision.
Football-wise, David Gough had a handier game than expected between Galway and Roscommon, which passed off without much incident. Credit to Seamus Mulhare, after a difficult day in the league when Cork played Dublin he has bounced back and did well in the Offaly-Meath Leinster quarter-final.
As for Fergal Horgan’s retirement, it’s very unfortunate, both for hurling and the referees committee. It underlines some of the issues I have raised in this column, which need to be addressed badly. Investment and support for elite referees has to increase. Losing a referee of his quality is sad even though some would say Fergal has gone about his business the wrong way these last couple of weeks.
Finally, on David Coldrick’s failed fitness test, I would ask anyone reading this have they ever seen him not being able to stay up with the play. My views on the fitness test are well known. David will be missed.
