Finding sense in puck-out fiasco

WE HAD another stumble at the Munster U21 Hurling Final last Wednesday night. Tipp and Clare, not for the first time, served up a thriller before a massive crowd of 12,000 people. Everything was totally sporting and the hurling was excellent.

Clare had never won a Munster U21 final. They’d waited 80 years to win a Senior All-Ireland before Loughnane, McNamara and Considine helped deliver Liam in 1995, and were then expected to disappear back beyond the Cliffs of Moher.

But Clare, inspired by the spirit of our founding father, Michael Cusack, had no notion of disappearing. They kept fighting against the odds and on Wednesday last, they were about to score the winning point in the U21 final when an overzealous umpire called the referee to an alleged puck-out infringement. The referee cancelled the free and according to rule, gave Tipp a 65. Tipp didn’t look a gift house in the mouth; they scored and won the match.

Tipp, as always, were gracious in victory.

Their dedicated chairman, John Costigan, even graciously stated in the Clare dressing room that a draw would have been a fairer result. A sporting statement that reflected John’s own sense of fair play but also the excellent relationship that now exists between Clare and Tipp.

John Minogue, the Clare manager and Mick O’Neill the Clare chairman, were models of reason and restraint in the immediate aftermath of the game. John Minogue rightly asked if this rule is to be enforced to the letter of the law, why start at a Munster Final?

Why indeed? What advantage does it confer on a team if the puck out is taken, one foot outside the designated line. The sliotar is going to land in more or less the same place.

As Fr Seamus Gardner pointed out recently, the penalty is outrageous — a 65 to the opposition. It’s just mad, Noel Walsh, for I fear no one else will have the courage or presence of mind to do so, put forward a motion to next year’s congress seeking to changed this crazy rule. Either a throw in from the 21-yard line or take the puck out again is penalty enough for an infringement more honoured in the breach than in the observance and that doesn’t confer one slightest iota of advantage on a team.

I was in Thurles for those three great games of hurling last Sunday week. Every 65 and every sideline ball were taken a foot or two inside the line. Every free from the hand in football is similarly flexible. Quite frequently, players carry the ball more than four steps.

Brendan Larkin, in an excellent article in this paper last Saturday, quoted the advice given to him and other referees by the late great President Con Murphy. “Use common sense,” said Con. He was quite right but I have come to believe that common sense is the most uncommon attribute of all.

Last Wednesday night in Ennis proved that, I could have cried for Clare when I heard what happened. Like everyone else in sport, I’ve suffered horrible, heartbreaking defeat to last-minute goals, stupid frees conceded and appalling misses in front of open goals. But what happened to Clare as they were about to score the winning point to win their first ever Munster U21 Hurling Final took the biscuit. It was the cruellest blow of all.

Please lads, as Con Murphy said, will ye use common sense and throw away those blasted guns, before instead of shooting ourselves in the foot, we do ourselves irretrievable harm.