Fellow referees back James Owens’ decision to sin bin Aidan McCarthy

Referee James Owens speaks to Aidan McCarthy of Clare before issuing him with a yellow card and subsequently awarding a penalty to Tipperary. Picture: Ray McManus/Sportsfile

James Owens’s fellow inter-county hurling referees have backed his decision to sin bin Aidan McCarthy in last Sunday’s Munster SHC semi-final.

The support for the Wexford referee at a meeting on Thursday is in contrast to the belief of some administrators and referee mentors that he was incorrect to dismiss the Clare player for his foul on Tipperary’s Jake Morris inside the 20 metre line.