Tackle was 'reckless,' and 'Like something you'd see in the French Revolution'

Irish Daily Mirror

26-05-2025

Donal Og Cusack says a tackle that went unpunished in the Galway/Dublin game was 'like something you'd see in the French Revolution.'
The RTE pundit, speaking on the Sunday Game, took issue with Conor Donohoe's high tackle across Galway's John Fleming, which knocked his helmet off.
Referee Colm Lyons and his team of officials didn't pick the incident up, and no action was taken.
However, this means that Donohoe could well face retrospective action from the GAA's Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) and could be slapped with a proposed suspension ahead of Dublin's All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final in three weeks time.
With a raft of potential red card incidents highlighted on the Sunday Game last night that either weren't picked up by match officials, or resulted in yellow cards, it has reignited debates over the standard of refereeing, the training of match officials and the need for a video official.
The CCCC could have a busy afternoon with Galway goalkeeper Darach Fahy also likely to be sweating for a swipe at Dublin's AJ Murphy, which went unpunished by the match officials.
However, Cork's Sean O'Donoghue, who reacted to being bundled over by striking out at Dessie Hutchinson in their victory over Waterford, could be in the clear for their Munster Final encounter with Limerick in a fortnight.
Referee Johnny Murphy yellow carded O'Donoghue for the incident. In such scenarios the GAA generally deem the issue to have been dealt with by the referee although they do have the power to ask him to review it again.
Galway's Daithi Burke is likely to be in the clear after being yellow carded be referee Lyons for a thumping shoulder to the chest of Dubliin's Conor Burke.
Sunday Game pundit Liam Sheedy said some of the incidents across the week were 'more street fighting than street wise,' while Donal Og Cusack aaddressed the Donohoe challenge on Fleming.
'This last one here, something like to be honest you'd see in the French Revolution,' said the Cork All-Ireland winner.
'It's more suited to something that would be happening in the Bastille.
'I can't understand how the umpires didn't see that. Hurling is a physical game. It's a game for courage. It's a game for bravery. It's a game for toughness. There's nothing tough about that tackle.'
And on Darach Fahy's swipe at AJ Murphy, Cusack said:'He's not going to break his leg with something like that but there's nothing tough about that.
'In that situation - we've said it in numerous situations - there's a duty on the umpire to be calling the referee.
'When I speak about duty, there's a duty on the tackler. You see Daithi Burke on Conor Burke.
"There's a duty on the tackler in those situations to be careful with the player. A shoulder on the chest could go seriously wrong.'
Cusack went on to question the role of the GAA: 'You'd have to ask, who is leading? We saw during the winter there was stuff being leaked out to the media and we all know where it was going before the referees were getting it.
'You'd have to ask what type of support they (referees) are getting from Croke Park. Are they getting the fitness help and so on?
'Has the day come to get some sort of technology into the GAA to help em. I do think the GAA are going to have to make big decisions.
'You hear a lot coming out of Croke Park about the handpassing of the ball. There's way bigger problems in hurling than somebody who is trying to handpass the ball quickly.
'We've seen it with the whole tackle. The tackle is one of the biggest issues.
'A number of years ago when some of us were speaking about the introduction of the spare hand and all the issues that that was going to bring in the game, the GAA avoided going after trying to define the tackle.
'So you'd have to question from a leadership point of view in Croke Park, because the game of hurling has never been better and that comes from a fella who played the game a number of years.
'We know the game has always been skilful players. The game is excellent but one of the biggest problems we have in the game is the standard of refereeing.
'And it gives none of us, and we've said it about three or four times because we respect referees….
'And especially at club level the game won't go ahead without referees, but it's just not good enough."
Cusack continued: 'You (Sheedy) spoke about the responsibility on players but you'd have to say the standard of refereeing is just not good enough.
'My own minor team at home will know whenever we speak about referees, I always ask them, 'Who is the bravest person on the field?' and I will always say, 'It's the referee,' because in a lot of cases they are there by themselves.
'But the game, especially at this level, has advanced so much physically, pace wise, technology, the referees just haven't advanced at the same pace.'
Speaking about the Galway/Dublin game, Liam Sheedy said: 'It could have been 13 against 14. It should have been absolutely. There's no question all three of them were sendings off.
Equally the game is made - we want it to be 15 on 15, but there is a duty of care. John Kiely said it a number of weeks ago - players need to respect the players they are playing against.
'Some of the stuff we are seeing is stupid and silly stuff, but some of it is wreckless, down right wreckless. That could have been and should have been 14 against 13 at the end of the first half.'
Sheedy felt Cork's Sean O'Donoghue should have been sent off for an incident with Dessie Hutchinson.
'I mean, he clearly strikes Dessie Hutchinson, and to me that should have been a red card for striking.
'Johnny does consult and it ends up where Sean O'Donoghue gets a yellow card and Stephen Bennett actually gets a yellow card for throwing away the hurley. To me, if that is a striking action, it's a sending off.'