Fogarty Forum: Hurling semi-final's phantom point a bad case of group-think

For that late denial of John Donnell's goalbound shot, Robert Doyle is the toast of Tipperary but, as has been pointed out, the saviour of the GAA too.

Noel McGrath's 70th minute strike was awarded as a point for Tipperary on the Croke Park and RTÉ scoreboards even though it had been waved wide the the umpire. Pic: Ray McManus/Sportsfile

There was no cup on offer last Sunday but if possession is indeed nine-tenths of the law, Tipperary were letting it be known early Monday afternoon that they were keeping hold of their All-Ireland final spot.

At 2.42pm, notification of their final media event that takes place on Tuesday afternoon didn’t come through their usual communication channel but Croke Park. The GAA’s dissemination of it cemented the perception at least that Tipperary’s presence in the July 20 game against Cork was secure.