Support on both sides for Kenny after Fitzpatrick clash
Cats captain James ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick was carried off following an entanglement involving several players, with some observers blaming Kenny for his injury, but Bowen said yesterday that the Cork midfielder was “one of the cleanest inter-county players around”.
“I doubt Tom Kenny has ever been booked playing for Cork,” said Bowen yesterday.
“He must be one of the cleanest players around and would never have been in any disciplinary trouble. We’d certainly be hoping that would be taken into account when evaluating anything that happened in the game on Sunday.
Kilkenny county board chairman Paul Kinsella also insists no action should be taken against Kenny.
The GAA’s CCCC looks set to examine video evidence of the flashpoint incident which occurred at the end of the game, but Kinsella believes that what happens on the field of play should stay there.
Referee Michael Wadding will not include the matter in his match report as he did not see what happened but the CCCC is expected to take action against the Cork player.
Kilkenny county board secretary Ned Quinn said yesterday that Fitzpatrick was very sore after the game but will make a full recovery in a couple of days.
The team captain did not require a hospital visit, was present in the dressing room after the game and joined the rest of the panel in the team hotel later.
The Ballyhale Shamrocks midfielder will rest this week as players have been released back to their clubs ahead of a full round of local championship fixtures this weekend.
Kinsella said: “Officially, I would prefer that the referee deals with everything. I say that from the point of view that we can’t transfer the same standard from top to bottom. Then, we’re dealing with selective matches. From that point of view, what do you do with un-televised matches in Kilkenny or Tipperary?”
Kinsella agreed that Kenny’s actions were out of character for a player with such an exemplary disciplinary record.
“Nobody is more sorry than Tom Kenny this morning and in fairness, he was the first man to go to Cha, if you follow through on the video.
“I would prefer that the match is finished and that’s the end of it as far as we’re concerned.”
“Cork and Kilkenny are good friends again today and there’s a great mutual respect also between the players as hurlers. Cha and Tom Kenny played Fitzgibbon Cup hurling together and against each other. There’s no animosity between the players at all and that’s the way it should stay. That has always been the way.
“When the unfortunate incident happened with PJ Delaney all those years ago, Cork people stepped forward and when James McGarry had his misfortune last year, Cork people stepped forward again. There is real friendship there and that’s the way we treat hurling.”
Meanwhile, Bowen added that his Cork side had no complaints after falling at the penultimate hurdle.
“We were beaten by the better team, Kilkenny were outstanding on the day. Our own lads put in a huge effort, and we’d pay tribute to them for all their efforts.
“There’s been a lot of loose talk about retirements and so on in the Cork camp, but I can tell you there were no announcements made in the dressing-room or anything like that. I wouldn’t be writing these lads off the way a lot of others are doing.”
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