Cork to contest Mulcahy sending off decision

CORK’S leading scorer Valerie Mulcahy is set to miss the TG4 All-Ireland senior Ladies Football final against Monaghan unless Board officials can successfully challenge her controversial dismissal at the end of Saturday’s semi-final victory.

A vital member of the team which will be bidding for four-in-a-row in Croke Park on September 28, she was red-carded just 30 seconds from the end of the game after questioning a decision of referee Liam McDonagh from Sligo.

Team and Board officials are set to mount a vigorous defence of the Rockbán star, who played a key role in each of the team’s three All-Ireland victories to date. It will be based on the conviction that she was sent off in the wrong — that the referee misinterpreted what she said. And, they hope to produce supporting evidence from one of the Tyrone defenders who reportedly endorsed Mulcahy’s version of the incident afterwards.

Admitting to have been ‘dumbfounded’ by what happened, team coach Eamonn Ryan said it would be a disaster if she were to be forced out of the final. “A team leading by 4-18 to 0-11 has no reason to be fouling, no reason to be doing anything out of the way,” he commented. “Valerie was surprised, we were all surprised. If anything, she was fouled just before it. We’ll have just to look into it, watch the video and see if anything can be done.”

Team-mate Nollaig Cleary agreed that the sending-off had cast “a complete cloud” over their victory. “She didn’t do anything. She said something but I think the referee misinterpreted what she did say. We’d just be hoping before the final comes around they might have a look at it and re-consider. She is an invaluable player to our team, one of the outstanding players all year. It would be just a tragedy if she were to miss the final.”

Kerry manager Robbie Griffin, who was the TG4 analyst for the live transmission of the game, expressed the hope that ‘justice will prevail’.

“At best, it would have been a weak yellow card or a yellow card incident. Valerie is a class footballer and she plays by the rules,” he remarked. “I didn’t see her doing anything wrong. She may have said something out of frustration but it was certainly no more than a yellow card. Certainly it would be a crying shame if she was to miss an All-Ireland final because of something silly.”