Loughrea's Tiernan Killeen defends brother after All-Ireland semi-final red card
Tiernan Killeen on his brother Cullen: "I know he's not a dirty player. You could ask anybody, on both sides of the pitch, is he a dirty player? He's not." Pic: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne
Loughrea and Galway star Tiernan Killeen has jumped to the defence of younger brother Cullen, pointing out that he's 'a child' and far from a dirty player.
Cullen was Man of the Match in Sunday's All-Ireland club SHC semi-final defeat of Sleacht Neill but picked up a straight red card in stoppage time so is presently suspended for next month's final against Ballygunner.
Manager Tommy Kelly maintained that the teenage midfielder was merely trying to extricate himself from a tangle with Sleacht Neill's Brendan Rogers and confirmed that the club will appeal.
Killeen cut a devastated figure immediately after the dismissal which came in the 63rd minute when Loughrea were 14 points ahead and coasting to victory. Referee Johnny Murphy indicated that the Galway U-20 had pulled dangerously with the hurl.
"He's my brother and I'd be able to give out to him a lot of the time," said Tiernan, an All-Ireland SHC quarter-finalist with Galway last summer. "But this lad is a 19-year-old. I don't know if he's ever got a card in his life. He's a really disciplined hurler. He's a child, he's a 19-year-old playing out there in a senior All-Ireland semi-final.
"For something like that (to happen)...look, it's not my place to comment on what it was, I didn't actually see it. But I know he's not a dirty player. You could ask anybody, on both sides of the pitch, is he a dirty player? He's not.
"He just likes to go out and hurl. It's probably a bit of a damp squib for the finish of an All-Ireland semi-final, to have that. Look, hopefully something can come from it and we can get him out there in a couple of weeks' time."
The back-to-back Galway champions at least have a deep panel to dig into if they require reinforcements for the Croke Park decider.
Cullen's Galway U-20 colleague from last summer, Vince Morgan, wore number 23 and was a late addition to the team at Parnell Park on Sunday.
Morgan finished with 1-1 and was a contender for the Man of the Match award himself.
"We've 35 unbelievable hurlers there, you could put out two 15s and you wouldn't see much of a difference," maintained Tiernan. "Darren Shaughnessy picked up a small niggle so it probably wasn't worth risking him (against Sleacht Neill). It shows the depth we have. If you have to put in different players, you're not going to see a whole pile of difference, we all play the same way. They're all similar hurlers there, they want to get the ball and they want to take on their man."
Loughrea will still be up against it when they face a generational Ballygunner side chasing a second national title in five seasons.
For Killeen, boss Kelly and his backroom could just prove to be Loughrea's most potent weapon.
"It's the best management I've ever worked under," said Killeen, part of both Henry Shefflin's and Micheal Donoghue's Galway senior setups in recent seasons. "And I can't see myself working under a better management because they're so experienced. They're just unbelievable lads who know how to prepare a team and how to set up a team."
Killeen was on the Galway minor team that clinched an All-Ireland four-in-a-row in 2021 and he featured for the seniors in last summer's Leinster final at Croke Park.
But he said returning to GAA HQ with his club will be a career high.
"Oh absolutely," enthused the number 11. "I think if you asked anyone, any day out with your club (at Croke Park) is the biggest day. Certainly that won't change for me. This is an opportunity to go up there with my best friends, that I've grown up hurling with since I was six years of age, it means the world to me. I don't think it will ever be topped."
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