Seamus Durack calls for clarity on penalties

The longest-standing proponent of the one v one penalty in hurling insists it should only be awarded if a referee adjudges a foul has denied a certain goal.

Ahead of its major debut in Sunday’s Division 1 semi-final double-header since being introduced last Saturday, former Clare keeper Seamus Durack is delighted the new penalty has been made safer while giving an improved opportunity to the taker to score a goal.

However, he has called on referees to be more careful in awarding penalties considering they are now more lucrative. “There will be more goals scored but there will probably be more resilience towards giving an easy penalty. They can’t be giving penalties for half-baked tackles. The penalty should only be given on the basis of it being nearly a certain score.

“Unfortunately, it will come down to the discretion of the referees because he won’t have the benefit of, as they have in rugby, the video referee. That is where there will be a bit of uncertainty. There will be an outcry if penalties are given too easily because the chances of scoring them are higher now. There has to be a bedding-in scenario and it must be given a chance to work.”

Durack hasn’t ruled out the penalty being brought further out if the conversion rate is too high. However, while the stakes have got higher for goalkeepers he believes their rewards are greater.

“This now gives the chance not to the taker but to the keeper to be the star of the show. On the other hand, if you concede a goal, you could be on the cross for about 30 years! .

“There’ll be no more saying the useless guys are put in goals. If you’re not strong on both sides, if you can’t bring your hands as quick to your right as you can to your left you’re going to be in trouble. He will have to be equally as good on both sides. One-sided goalkeepers won’t survive because they’ll be caught on their bad side or they’ll move over to one side to compensate for one side.”

Meanwhile, Nicky O’Connell returned to full training with Clare last night having held a clear-the-air meeting with the rest of the panel and management. O’Connell and Davy O’Halloran left the panel after the latter claimed in a newspaper interview they had been humiliated after an alleged breach of conduct.

Tipperary defender Michael Cahill hasn’t ruled himself out of contention for action in Sunday’s Division 1 semi-final against Waterford.