Galway men see red after referee’s contentious calls

Galway 1-15

IT was understandable Galway had mixed emotions after this one. A draw against Clare in the All-Ireland champions’ own back yard was a good result – it booked the Tribesmen a place in the National Hurling League quarter-finals – and, yet, there was a general feeling that they had left a victory behind them against Davy Fitzgerald’s 14-man outfit.

As with any full-bloodied derby played in Summer-like conditions in front of a crowd of 9,299, you would expect plenty of talking points and in this respect Sunday’s final round robin Division 1A game at Cusack Park in Ennis certainly didn’t disappoint.

Both sides fought this local derby with great intensity and fervour, with the exchanges tight and tense throughout. The scores were tied on seven occasions, the last of which saw substitute Colin Ryan convert a controversial injury-time free to earn a hard-working Clare outfit a dramatic draw.

In truth though, it was debatable if Clare should have been awarded that opportunity. Galway had won a line ball and when the Clare bench began remonstrating with referee Diarmuid Kirwan that Iarla Tannian was taking too long, the Cork man concurred and decided to throw the ball in.

From that throw-in, hurls began to fly and out of all that, Kirwan saw something untoward – what that was certainly was not clear from the stand or, indeed, in television replays subsequently – and he awarded Clare their 20th free of the day.

Galway manager Anthony Cunningham remonstrated and Kirwan further punished the Tribesmen by moving the ball forward for dissent. It was the fourth time he dealt with Galway in such a manner. Ryan duly converted much to the delight of the Clare following.

Of those 20 Clare frees by the way, they converted 14 of the 17 that were scoreable. It really was an exhibition from the lively Tony Kelly and, indeed, the equally accomplished Colin Ryan when he was introduced.

While Galway may feel they have every right to be aggrieved at the free count being 20-11 against them (12-6 at half-time), it was their inability to make their numerical advantage count after Clare wing-forward Shane Golden was sent off on a straight red after just 30 minutes that really hurt them.

With yellow cards being thrown out like confetti by referee Kirwan in the early stages, it was only a matter of time before the Cork man dished out a red. He duly obliged when Golden swung back on Tannian after the Galway centre-back cleared his lines. By this stage, the sides were level at 0-7 apiece.

In the ensuing minutes, Cathal Mannion and Tony Kelly (free) exchanged scores but it was a wind-assisted Galway who entered the break in front when Mannion clipped over another fine effort in injury-time to leave Cunningham’s charges 0-9 to 0-8 to the good at the break.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.