'Not being applied' - hurling refs scared to use the black card
Liam Sheedy and Donal Og Cusack believe refs are abandoning the black card.
The two Sunday Game pundits were reacting to a clear foul on Stephen Bennett yesterday which led to a free rather than a black card and a penalty.
Waterford, at that early stage of the game, were in front before they ultimately were overhauled by Cork, prior to exiting the Championship following their defeat in the Pairc.
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But that Bennett decision was key and highlighted by former Tipp boss, Sheedy.
He said: 'Stephen Bennett gets hauled down clearly. But there was no penalty, there was no black card and he didn't convert the free.
'That was a big moment that could have changed things.
'Waterford will feel aggrieved that they didn't get the extra man because the extra man does make a big difference. We have seen that over the course of the Championship
'It is not being applied.'
Donal Og added: 'You have to ask, why was it (the black card) brought in first? It was brought in to stamp out cynical fouling whenever there were out and out goal chances.
'And it was a good rule.
'For some reason the referees do not seem to be applying it when it seems obvious that they should.'
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