A free or not a free — that is the question

WAS it a free or was it not a free? — that was the question asked by thousands of fans after yesterday’s heart-stopping Croker tussle between Waterford and Cork.

Depending on which colour jersey you wore, either Cork were hard done by or Waterford won a free fair and square and as a consequence, the right to a replay.

The controversial injury-time free from Eoin Kelly rescued Waterford from almost certain defeat after referee Brian Gavin ruled that Cork goalkeeper Dónal Óg Cusack had fouled the ball.

Cork had just produced two top drawer saves to deny Waterford a goal, but as players converged on Cusack, the whistle was blown and the Cloyne man was adjudged to have smothered the ball.

The resulting free meant it was once again level pegging and by then, everyone knew the script was written.

The finale was no more nor no less than anyone expected — the final whistle would inevitably follow the puck-out and no-one would go home disappointed — dissatisfied and frustrated maybe, but not disappointed.

Cork manager Ger McCarthy was possibly the most frustrated man on the pitch.

“Certainly the referee is en titled to his own opinion, but everyone in Croke Park didn’t think it was a free in,” he said.

To be fair, neither side deserved to lose — the game finished 3-16 apiece — and the demand for tickets for the replay will probably be as frantic as the wonderful hurling we were treated to yesterday.

The date and venue of the replay are due to be announced today.

It was another great day for the GAA, with a phenomenal attendance of over 72,000 at the two quarter-finals in Croke Park — Limerick and Clare providing the curtain raiser in a match that ended in Limerick’s favour.