First defeat of 2015 for 14 man Waterford

If you are a regular reader of what I upload on this blog, thank you.

Regular readers will also know that when it comes to writing about Gaelic Football I am not a happy camper in recent years.

When it comes to Red and Yellow cards, unlike many I have no issue with them. To me they are a God send. Before they came into use it was very hard to work out if a player was booked, and when a player was sent off we were often wondering was the player sent off having received two bookings or was the player sent off without having received a booking previously.

Before the introduction of the cards, things happened just as they do right now. A player often got a warning for a minor incident. When found guilty of a second offence, the referee booked a player and if the same player was found guilty of another minor enough incident the player was again asked for their name by the referee and were sent off. Of course some players did not get a second or third chance. If an incident was deemed to be serious enough a player was sent off straight away.

The introduction of the red and yellow cards ended a lot of that confusion. Those watching games can since the introduction of the red and yellow cards can not easily (most of the time anyway), identify players that have to be careful for the rest of the game.

The introduction of the black card however is something that I have concerns about.

From the moment it was announced that the black card was going to be introduced into Gaelic Football, I have said that those responsible for tweaking the rules of the game every few years were getting it completely wrong.

Yes something had to be done to curb the cynical play that has come into the game. To me issuing players with a black card, sending them off the field of play, only for them to be replaced by another player from the subs list was all wrong. I have tried to argue that teams would use the rule to their advantage and they are. I have also questioned as to whether those that those that voted in the changes were aware what they were doing. Were they merely doing what they were told what they had to do from higher up the GAA ladder.

I have said however that the GAA should have gone down the Ladies Football road. When Ladies Football was formally played from 1974 onwards, certain fouls were not allowed, but in the 90’s as the game was starting to grow, fouls that were not allowed began to come more and more into the game. Something had to be done before someone was seriously hurt, so a few years back a list of fouls that were not allowed was drawn up and any player found guilty of using them or constantly committed slightly lesser fouls were to be given a yellow card by the referee and after receiving a yellow card would be sin binned for ten minutes and no player would be allowed on to replace them. In that time the opposition were given a chance to punish their opponents more than they would if they were merely given a free kick. The end result – Ladies Football is now a more enjoyable game than it was for a few years before the rule was brought in, as players always have to think before they do anything as their actions could have a consequence for the rest of the panel of which they are a part of.

Had the GAA operated the same rules as the Ladies Football, you have to wonder would we have had a different outcome to the National Football League game between Offaly and Waterford in Tullamore last Sunday.

Let’s get this straight, on the day the better side won, and Offaly have to be congratulated on their win, ending Waterford’s unbeaten competitive run in 2015, so please don’t let anyone think that this is any form of sour grapes.

On Sunday afternoon Offaly had three black cards issued to their players. Had Offaly had their numbers cut each time they had a black card waved at their players by Kerry referee Sean Joy would the game have a different outcome.

Corner back Joseph O’Connor received the firs black card on 35 minutes his side would have ended the first half with 14 players and began the second also with 14.

Corner forward William Mulhall was next to see black on 41 minutes which would have meant that Offaly’s 14 would be cut to 13 for a short while and on 59 minutes they had substitute Anton Sullivan sin binned meaning that the home side would be back down to 14 till normal time was almost up.

Had Offaly not been allowed to replace players that were issued a black card for ten minutes when they could send back on the same player or to replace him with one of their subs, and Waterford were to kick two or three points while with a numerical advantage would the game have a different outcome? We will never know, but wouldn’t it be interesting to find out sometime.

As stated already, on the day the home side were the better of the two sides and deserved their win on the day.

They opened the scoring on five minutes through Joseph O’Connor. Before this however, Waterford were in a spot of trouble as Shane Ahearne in the first minute was booked by the Kerry official. Eighteen minutes later the towering Stradbally man was given a second yellow following some play acting that you would associate more with other sports than GAA in recent years.

The Stradbally man however before his controversial dismissal levelled matters when he put over a free on eleven minutes, but the next two scores went the way of the home side through William Mulhall and Ruairi Allen to give them a 0-3 to 0-1 lead. Soon afterwards the referee was the centre of attention when he sent off the Stradbally man.

Michael O’Halloran and Nigel Dunne traded scores in a four minute spell to keep Offaly two in front, but it was not to remain that way for long, as Waterford took the lead on twenty eight minutes when Michael O’Halloran effort dropped short and Michael Curry was in the right place at the right time to fist past Alan Mulhall in the Offaly goal.

Declan Hogan levelled matters for the second time in the game four minutes from the break, but Waterford would go in at the break leading by one after Paul Whyte put over a free shortly before the break.

Offaly leveled (1-3 to 0-6) five minutes in to the second half when William Mulhall put over his second of the afternoon. Niall McNamee who replaced Mulhall after he collected his black card put Offaly back in front soon after coming on. Patrick Hurney levelled matters on forty-seven minutes, but this was to prove to be the visitors last score of the afternoon.

Nigel Dunne from a free sent Offaly back in front on fifty minutes. Niall McNamee followed up with his second of the game before Derek Hogan and Bernard Allen landed points for the home side.

The scoring was complete when Nigel Dunne put over his third of the game eight minutes from time and midfield player Graham Guilfoyle completed the scoring two minutes later.

This was Waterford’s sixth competitive game (four in McGrath Cup and two in the League) in six weeks. The side have a little time off before their next game which is against Carlow under the lights in Fraher Field at the end of the month, a game that Waterford will feel that the points are there for the taking.

OFFALY: Alan Mulhall; Daithi Brady, Paul McConway, Joseph O’Connor; Cian Donohue, Johnny Maloney, Declan Hogan; Graham Guilfoyle, Ruairi Allen; Keith Mullally, Pauric Sullivan, Nigel Bracken; Bernard Allen, Nigel Dunne, William Mulhall. Subs: Eoin Rigney for Joseph O’Connor (black card 36 mins), Niall McNamee for Willie Mulhall (black card 41 mins), Anton Sullivan for Nigel Bracken (44 mins), Niall Geraghty for Keith Mullally (59 mins), Conor McNamee for Anton Sullivan (black card 59 mins), John Ledwith for Daithi Brady (65 mins). 

Scorers: Nigel Dunne 0-3 (1f), William Mulhall (1f), Declan Hogan, Niall McNamee 0-2 each, Joseph O’Connor, Ruairi Allen, Bernard Allen, Graham Guilfoyle 0-1 each.

WATERFORD: Stephen Enright; Dean Crowley, Ray O’Ceallaigh, Thomas O’Gorman; Tadhg O hUallachain, Maurice O’Gorman, Conor Phelan; Shane Aherne, Tommy Prendergast; Michael Curry, Michael O’Halloran, Patrick Hurney; Mark Fercombe, Joey Veale, Gavin Nugent. Subs: Paul Whyte for Joey Veale (22 mins), Oran Keevers for Michael Curry (46 mins), Niall Walsh for Paul Whyte (64 mins), JJ Hutchinson for Mark Ferncombe (62 mins), Jason Curry for Gavin Nugent (66 mins).

Scorers: Michael Curry 1-0, Shane Ahearne (f), Michael O’Halloran, Paul Whyte (F), Patrick Hurney 0-1 each.

Referee: Sean Joy (Kerry).