'It's not sour grapes, I just thought the referee had a very poor match'
Manley's side were aiming for a three-in-a-row success today in Croke Park, but instead were narrowly denied by a late Carrie Dolan free which decided an epic clash.
The Cork boss has criticised the Wexford official for some of his calls during the game, stating that 'it seemed to be one rule for one team and another rule for the next.'
He pointed to a few incidents throughout the game where decisions went against his team, including a turnover on goalkeeper Amy Lee which led to a Caoimhe Kelly point, and a straight red card for midfielder Hannah Looney just before half-time.
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Looney was sent to the line for an apparent high challenge on Galway's Carrie Dolan.
'She's very upset,' Manley said after Cork's 1-14 to 1-13 defeat. 'It was a funny one. From where I was, I thought she came across and she sort of went into her alright a bit. But he said she struck and I think Thompson got one for an elbow. Jesus, I couldn't see it. I just could not see it.
'Amy Lee, we all saw it on the big screen, the push in the back. We were beaten by a point. We'd nearly need to be looking for VAR. If that was in a soccer match, it would have been cancelled out. Clodagh Finn got fouled near the end, a blatant push again. The sending-off had a huge bearing but we probably played better with 14 players. It's very tough on Hannah.'
Manley also questioned the decision to award Galway that injury-time free which Dolan converted to seal the O'Duffy Cup for the Tribeswomen. He also believes more time could have played following the stoppage for Dolan's free.
'There could have been another minute there because play was stopped and he just blew it up. You go back to the hooter in the football… It might be no harm at times [to introduce the hooter into camogie] if they're playing four or five minutes because the game should be stopped a bit. Look, it's small things now straight after the match.'
Disappointed Cork players after the game. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO
He praised Galway for their attitude and application throughout the contest, and insisted that he did no wish to detract from their victory. But he reiterated his disappointment at Heffernan's overall performance.
'I thought Justin had a shocking game as a referee. Galway deserved it. I'm not taking away from them. They had huge hunger, huge everything.
'But the decisions that went against us were very disappointing. It's not sour grapes really, I just thought the referee had a very poor match. I don't like knocking refs but I thought he had a very poor game. I know it's a tough game but some of the decisions that went against us, it seemed to be one rule for one team and another rule for the next. We're not a dirty team and neither are Galway really.'
Commenting on Cork's display with a numerical disadvantage, Manley said he was proud of their effort and added that he felt his team were better in the second half. He also praised Saoirse McCarthy for her part in leading the charge from five points down. Her four frees were crucial to Cork's rallying display.
However, he also admitted that Cork 'weren't at full speed' due to injuries in recent weeks. The normally lively Amy O'Connor failed to score from play and was replaced by Cliona Healy in the second half. All three of Cork's inside forwards were withdrawn in the second half as Mackey and Sorcha McCartan also made way.
Manley revealed that O'Connor suffered a torn hamstring last week.
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'We kept it quiet. She got away with it but you could see she wasn't at full tilt.
'We had a couple of injuries in the last two or three weeks, which we kept quiet. A couple of girls carried them into the game.
'But I was so delighted with our gang and the effort we put in. There's a reason why we're up there. Galway the same.'
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