Bennett’s blast ‘below the belt’ says Leinster referees’ chief

Leinster GAA officials have strongly defended the performance of referee John Keenan in Saturday’s All-Ireland JHC final replay.

Ballysaggart selector Pat Bennett was scathing in his criticism of Keenan over what he termed the “crazy” dismissal of his son Kieran in their defeat to Antrim outfit, Creggan Kickhams.

The 19-year old midfielder picked up a second yellow card on 45 minutes with Bennett senior saying: “When you’re putting in a Wicklow referee that doesn’t know what hurling is about then that is what you get.”

Secretary of the Leinster referees committee, Pierce Freaney, said the attack on Keenan was unfair, unjust and completely unwarranted.

Two red cards were shown in the decider, but the referees advisor present at Cusack Park, according to Freaney, was satisfied with Keenan’s handling of the replay.

“The comment making reference to where John was from was totally below the belt,” Freaney said last night.

“All referees are humans and they do get used to criticism, normal criticism fine, but the county of your birth and more or less saying that a fella from Wicklow is a gobshite where hurling is concerned is below the belt.

“It is unfair to attack any referee just because they are from a certain county. That wasn’t right. I normally wouldn’t react to criticism of referees, but this really got me.

“The referees advisor who was in Cusack Park, Mullingar is very experienced and stood over John’s performance 100%. He said John’s performance was of a very high standard.”

Indeed, responding to Bennett’s remarks that Keenan had proven himself to be a football referee, the Leinster official said it showed complete ignorance of the Wicklow man’s CV.

“He is not a rookie. He refereed last year’s Leinster MHC final in Croke Park, that is a big game for any referee, and he also took charge of the Leinster club hurling decider between Mount Leinster Rangers and Oulart-the-Ballagh. He is certainly no mug. That’s par for the course that a disappointed selector would have a pop at a referee, but it is below the belt to suggest that where he is from rules him out as a credible hurling referee. If a person is considering becoming a referee and they see this kind of an attack, straight away they will say to themselves ‘why should I subject myself to that’.”