‘Incredible inconsistency’ over fouls leaves McIntyre bemused

IS IT the fault of a referee when, towards the end of a game, result in the balance, players commit a series of offences which – either because of their seriousness or because of an accumulation of fouls conceded – result in a yellow card, a delay as it’s being issued?

Is it the fault of a referee if, on a couple of occasions, a player acts totally out of character and frontal charges an opponent, an act which, if the referee deems it malicious, can result in a straight red card?

Such was the situation in Nowlan Park, six yellow cards issued by referee John Sexton in the second half of what was never a dirty game, one of those yellows resulting in a red (second yellow for Wexford sub John Redmond), and – far more controversially – two straight reds, first for Galway wing-forward Andy Smith (who was already on a yellow anyway), then for Wexford’s Diarmuid Lyng.

It drew the ire of Galway manager John McIntyre afterwards and left Wexford manager Colm Bonnar and a whole series of players bemused.

“I believe Andy has been penalised for his total commitment,” said McIntyre. “It has tarnished the game from our perspective. We’re trying to get Galway to play a more aggressive brand of hurling, to lay their bodies on the line. In fairness to the two Wexford players they didn’t deserve to go either. What’s the difference between a fella taking the head off a player and getting a red card and a fella being just maybe a bit over-enthusiastic in the tackle? There was nothing malicious about the challenges that the two Wexford players and Andy Smith got sent off for – they were trying too hard.”

“We don’t feel we did anything different tonight than we did in Thurles a few weeks ago against Cork (league final) and we hardly conceded a free; tonight we finished with 14 players, we conceded a lot of scores from placed balls. There is inconsistency there in refereeing. I’m not having a go at John Sexton – I don’t think people really realise how difficult it is to referee a championship game going at full tilt, there’s so much going on. He’s only one man out there, he’s on his own; I sympathise with referees. I’m just making the point that there is an incredible inconsistency from one game to the next.”

Wexford coach Colm Bonnar added: “You commit yourself to the tackle and a fella turns into you at the wrong time, that’s what you’re looking at, but probably the easiest thing would have been to give (Smith) the second yellow.”

As for Lyng – “Straight red, coming to the end of the game (3rd minute of added time); it looked more like he pushed him (Galway midfielder David Burke) over but the referee obviously had a closer look at it.”

“I mistimed the tackle a bit,” admitted Lyng. “But I never play with any intentions to be dirty. It’s frustrating but that’s the way the game goes – John took his view on it, you have to respect that as well. Maybe I just take my punishment, take my month, maybe miss a game. I’m hoping it looks uncynical enough on TV that I’ll have some chance.”