RTE GAA pundits argue over who started halftime row as Cork eventually topple Limerick in Munster final epic

The Irish Sun

3 hours ago

THE halftime whistle in the Munster final only served to add to the drama as both coaching staffs harangued the referee.
It took 94 energy-sapping minutes and a penalty shootout to eventually decide a winner as Cork ended Limerick's six-year provincial reign.
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The entire Cork and Limerick coaching staffs invaded the pitch
Credit: RTE
Ref Thomas Walsh adopted a less is more approach when it came to blowing for fouls.
According to Joanne Cantwell he only blew for six fouls in the whole first half.
This led to both sides feeling aggrieved at times with the Cork fans especially vocal in expressing their frustration.
What was surprising though was that Rebels boss Pat Ryan did similar as he marched over to Walsh the second he blew it up.
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His counterpart John Kiely and his staff spotted him doing so and raced out onto the centre of the pitch to cut him off from Walsh.
Tempers frayed as both sets of staffs mouthed off at one another before things did disperse after around 30 seconds.
RTE's pundits dissected it before the second half got underway.
Initially Liam Sheedy outlined that Walsh had contributed to a massively entertaining spectacle in a sport that is too fast to nail every single call.
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The ex-Tipperary boss emphasized: "It got very heated here as you can imagine. Looking back on the first half, I think Thomas Walsh did a great job.
"In a high-intensity match like this, it's hard to get all the calls right.
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"They got pulled on one end for a throw pass that ended up in Cian Lynch's goal being disallowed.
"It was hard to see separation for Brian Hayes's handpass and that one stood and ended up in the back of the net."
Kilkenny icon Henry Shefflin then spoke for most observers with his analysis of who'd initiated the kerfuffle.
He said: "I thought Limerick were reacting to it, to be honest with you. They were saying 'we can see he's going for the referee'.
"In fairness the players are letting him alone, they're hurling."
When Donal Og Cusack's turn came, he acknowledged he may well be viewing things through red-tinted glasses but maintained that he felt it was the other way round.
He reckoned: "I may sound biased now, but when we analyse that back again. I think it was the other way. I genuinely do.
"I'm telling you I do. It was Kiely and Kinnerk going out, and straight away Wayne Sherlock and Pat Ryan.
"Their focus was to say, 'hold on a second here, he's refereeing the game. Why are ye trying to referee it?'
"And I guess that can be seen as a biased point of view, but that was my view of it."
It's worth noting that when Walsh ultimately succumbed to a cramp in extra-time and had to be replaced by James Owens, he received a nice ovation from the Gaelic Grounds crowd.