Ref Kirwan defends final decisions

REFEREE Diarmuid Kirwan last night insisted he was ‘delighted’ with his handling of September’s All-Ireland SHC final.

Kirwan was criticised for his failure to award a penalty to Tipperary’s Seamus Callanan while pointing to the spot for a foul on Aidan Fogarty though the Kilkenny attacker had over-carried the ball.

However, speaking publicly for the first time since the game, the Cork official said he stood over his decisions and was happy with his performance. The top referee also said he would be against the introduction of video replays fearing they would make the games too ‘stop, start.’