Ben O'Connor says officials' mistake cost Cork against Tipperary
Cork manager Ben O'Connor during the oneills.com Munster U20 Hurling Championship final against Tipperary. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile
The officiating mistake that failed to award a William Buckley goal in the final quarter of the Munster U20 hurling final has cost Cork their provincial and All-Ireland title defence, manager Ben O’Connor has said.
While acknowledging the 11 second-half wides that his team registered, O’Connor lamented the legitimate goal not given.
Cork tailed 0-15 to 1-14 on 46 minutes when Buckley’s point attempt dropped into and then out of the hand of Tipperary goalkeeper Eoin Horgan. The sliotar popped up into the roof of the net before eventually being swept away to safety.
The young Rebels were coming off a three-in-a-row of points in response to an Oisin O’Donoghue Tipp goal on 39 minutes, and it will never be known to what extent they would have continued to drive on if either umpire had spotted the sliotar hitting the net.
“I thought at the time, from where I was, that it did hit the net,” said O’Connor.
“What I’d be more disappointed about is that the player lay on the ball afterwards. If you lie on the ball out the field, it’s a free straightaway.
“He was able to lie down on the ball for nine or ten seconds and then it was cleared. We got nothing out of it – at least if we had got a free, we’d have had a point out of it.
“It’s a tough job [for officials] but that’s us out of the championship and Tipp moving on. That’s after costing us and we’re very disappointed with it, but the result stands and you’re not going to get anything changed.”
Tipperary manager Brendan Cummins was also asked for his views on the green flag not given.
“That’s sport,” was his summary response.
“I was outside with TG4 and they wanted to ruin my buzz by showing me the goal! I genuinely haven't seen it. TG4 tried to show it to me. I said, look, the game is over.
“There's many the match I've played in, and Cork and Tipp will play into the future where we will say this went against us and that went against us. That's sport. It could go against us maybe next Saturday night (in the All-Ireland final against Offaly), you just never, never know.”
With the county’s senior side having suffered 15 and 18-point hammerings in recent weeks, Cummins was fully in tune to the bigger picture relevance of their result.
He also backed his old teammate Liam Cahill to turn around the form and fortunes of the county’s flagship side.
“Every match that you play is a moment in time. Tipp senior hurlers will go out against Clare at the weekend and they'll give everything they have again to try and get a victory.
“But the minors winning on Monday and ourselves tonight just shows that it is not all that bad in Tipperary. Liam Cahill will rally the troops again and he'll get that right too I am sure because he has done it with underage teams in Tipperary, so he'll be fine.”
Level on 11 occasions, this Munster final was decided by a Darragh McCarthy wonder score from out on the sideline seven seconds from the end of the allotted four injury-time minutes.
After a spring where he dragged Nenagh CBS to a historic first Harty success, it’s turning into a dream year for McCarthy.
“That last point from Darragh McCarthy, I don't know how he hit it over the bar but he did. That bit of genius deserved to split the teams in the finish,” Cummins continued.
“He is just very strong. He is built low to the ground. He has been in with the seniors a bit, so it has helped him the education he has got off Liam and his team. But the work-rate all around the field is the key to success. The turnover for our goal, I think it was Senan Butler that got it. The pass was perfect to Oisin. That was it.
“In fairness to Cork, defending champions, they came back. They got four-in-a-row. It was nip and tuck from there. I don't know how in the finish the boys kept the last couple of plays out, but it was great.”
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
