Déise loose out in controversial finish

Normally I am not one to give out about referees. Over the years I have attended thousands of games at different levels in both hurling and football, in both the men’s and women’s games. I have often seen referees make mistakes but more often than not, I have abstained from shouting from the side of the pitch like many other peoples. Instead I would mutter something like ‘you got that wrong there ref’ under my breath but might have put it a little more colourful.

After yesterday’s National Hurling League Final replay between Waterford and Clare I did go public on my Twitter and Facebook pages and say I felt that Cork referee Diarmuid Kirwan got it horribly wrong towards the end of the game when he awarded what looked like a free to Waterford in the opposite direction and from which Clare pulled level with Waterford on the score board.  

Sitting in the press box at matches as I have done in the last number of games, unlike those that sit beside me I tend not to count the amount of wides or frees won by either side over the course of the game. Towards the end of a game or straight after a game someone might mention that x amount of frees or wides were recorded and I might make a mental note of it and might use it in my report of the game.

Throughout the game yesterday I was aware that many people were not happy with the refereeing of Diarmuid Kirwan. It was only this morning that I learned one alarming stat, that Clare were awarded twice as many frees over the seventy plus frees than what Waterford got.

Were Waterford a more dirty or rougher team than Clare yesterday. I did not think so watching the game. Usually you would expect the free tally to be fairly even but learning that the Cork man awarded twice as many frees to Clare as opposed to Waterford would suggest that the Banner County got many of the calls to go in their favour, including one at the end of the game which had a major bearing on the result of the game.

I have also heard in the last 24 hours that a referee should not come from a county where a member standing on the line comes from. No doubt that many that were saying this was referring to Donal Óg Cusack’s involvement with Clare. Maybe if we go down that road are we opening a major can of worms for the association. If that road was gone down to you have to check them what county every referee’s wife or partner is if, and the same for the linesmen and umpires as well as those that are on the line for the two respective sides.

Waterford had an electric start to this game as Patrick Curran rattled the Clare net inside seventeen seconds of the game starting after he turned Patrick O’Connor racing in from the new stand side of the field.

The Dungarvan man followed up with a long range free on three minutes and already it was looking as if this game would be a much better affair than the drab drawn game at the same venue a week earlier.

Tony Kelly throughout was dangerous for Clare and he opened his sides account on four minutes. Less than a minute later Podge Collins pulled another back for Clare but it was quickly cancelled out with an effort from Kevin Moran.

Aaron Cunningham and Tony Kelly pulled points back for Clare and Davy Fitzgerald’s side went in front for the first time just past the fifteen minutes mark when Conor McGrath split the posts from a brace of frees.  

Patrick Curran levelled matters once more from a free and Waterford went three in front on nineteen minutes when De La Salle’s Jake Dillon cracked Waterford’s second goal of the game.

A Conor McGrath point quickly followed before Waterford hit four in a row from Austin Gleeson, Patrick Curran, Shane Bennett and Jamie Barron to leave Patrick Curran’s and Jake Dillon’s goals separating the sides with twenty three minutes showing on the clock.

Conor McGrath put over a brace of points before Darragh Fives and Patrick Curran followed with another brace from Conor McGrath had Waterford leading by four with three minutes of the half remaining.

Just one more score followed in the time that remained in the opening half, Conor McGrath again proving his worth to the Banner men with his seventh score of the afternoon.

The second half proved to be as equally as exciting as the first. Austin Gleeson and Davy Fitzgerald swapped early scores before Patrick Curran and Tony Kelly did likewise and when Patrick Curran put over six minutes into the half there was just three points between the sides.

The Dungarvan man put over another placed ball before Jamie Barron and Austin Gleeson gave Waterford a 2-15 to 0-15 lead with forty seven minutes played.

Two minutes later the game was anyone’s to win as Tony Kelly blasted to the Déise net to leave just three between the sides after he left a number of Waterford defenders in his wake.

Darach Honan then made it a two point game when he drilled between the posts from close range. Patrick Curran and Shane Bennett put day light between the sides with fourteen minutes to go.

Clare hit three in a row from Colin Ryan, Tony Kelly and David Reidy to reduce the difference on the scoreboard to just one point with nine minutes left on the clock.

Points from Patrick Curran and Brian O’Halloran followed with time ticking down but these were to prove to be Waterford’s last scores of the game.

Clare hit a purple patch in the closing minutes as Colin Ryan and Darach Honan hit points to leave just one between the sides with a minute of added time played.

But there was still time left. Tony Kelly made no mistake from a controversial free in the second minute of added time to level matters once more after it appeared that Jamie Barron had won a free for Waterford seconds earlier and had the game ended like this nobody would have complained and let what ever will be will be in the added two extra ten minute periods. But from the restart Clare won the sliotar and Kelly split the posts to put the Banner men in front for only the second time in the game to the annoyance of the Waterford support.

Clare: Patrick Kelly; Cian Dillon, Patrick O’Connor, David Fitzgerald; Jack Browne, Conor Cleary, Brendan Bugler; David Reidy, Colm Galvin; Tony Kelly, Conor McGrath, Podge Collins; Darach Honan, Aaron Cunningham, Shane O’Donnell. Subs: Colin Ryan for Colm Galvin (43), Cathal O’Connell for Podge Collins (54), Aaron Shanagher for Shane O’Donnell (64).

Scorers: Tony Kelly 1-6 (0-1f), Conor McGrath 0-8 (0-5f), Darach Honan, Colin Ryan (0-1f) 0-2 each, Patrick O’Connor, David Fitzgerald, David Reidy, Aaron Cunningham, Podge Collins 0-1 each.

Waterford: Stephen O’Keeffe; Barry Coughlan, Noel Connors, Shane Fives; Darragh Fives, Kevin Moran, Philip Mahony; Tadhg De Búrca, Jamie Barron; Michael Walsh, Austin Gleeson, Shane Bennett; Jake Dillon, Patrick Curran, Tom Devine. Subs: Colin Dunford for Tom Devine (45), Brian O’Halloran for Jake Dillon (56), Maurice Shanahan for Shane Bennett (67), Thomas Ryan for Michael Walsh (70)

Scorers: Patrick Curran 1-9 (0-6f, 0-1 ’65), Austin Gleeson 0-3, Jake Dillon 1-0, Jamie Barron, Shane Bennett 0-2 each, Kevin Moran, Darragh Fives, Brian O’Halloran 0-1 each.

Referee: Diarmuid Kirwan (Cork)