LAST Saturday night’s injury time debacle in the Limerick football game was one step too far for me. The radio stations, tv stations and newspapers that covered the game all had different injury times accounted for. It was certainly not the two minutes displayed by the fourth official and it was not the paltry few seconds that the referee added on.
The system has got to change. AFL games and international rugby matches have a stadium clock and the fourth official manages same.
The amateur organisation needs to come into the modern world and leave the wink and a nod attitude of the present timing system behind. It’s time the referees knew the score.
THE Limerick footballers exited the championship last Saturday evening in Portlaoise at the wrong end of a 1-13 to 2-8 scoreline. The story of this game was simple enough. A bad start from Limerick coupled with a bad end from the referee. Limerick took the lead after two minutes but that was to be their only lead of the game. Meath answered with two points and then a goal to leave the score at half time Meath 1-6, Limerick five points.
The flags at the end of the ground showed that a wind did favour Meath in the opening half, but Meath’s goalkeeper Paddy O Rourke managed the wind better than Limerick’s Sean Kiely. The struggle continued for Limerick at midfield. John Galvin performed as consistently as ever, but Jim O Donovan, who did not start was a huge loss. Indeed Limerick looked to be dead and buried in the opening minutes of the second half. The slugishness of their play being put down to the gap since the Munster final. After 12 minutes of the second half, Seanie Buckley started the comeback with a well worked goal.
The score now read Limerick 1-7, Meath 1-11. The large travelling Limerick crowd sensed a win. Jim O Donovan, now installed at midfield, scored a dubious square ball goal, but on reflection the ball was knocked back into the square by a Meath defender. Now Limerick really had their tails up. The midfield battle was being won and the half back line came more and more into the game.
At 2-8 to 1-12, it looked as if Limerick could go on and win.
However, Meath had another gear and a free roaming corner back, O Connor. The Meath tactical awareness won out in the end. Even when Stephen Bray received a straight red for an off the ball infringement, Limerick did not seem to have the ability to freely breakdown the royals defence. One man tried this feat and he almost forced extra time.
Lionhearted Stephen Lucey attacked in the final minutes. A step inside a defender and a bounce of the ball constituted, in the referee’s eyes, (Padraig Hughes of Armagh) an over carry and Limerick were penalised as Lucey ball sailed over the black spot. “I don’t know where they get them” was the quote from Mickey Ned after the game, as we spoke metres from the referee’s room. “We have to accept the referee’s calls, but sometimes they are hard to take. This team has character though and they will be back”.
The players might be back for another year, but the Kerryman was not clear on this own future in the county. ” I have given it everything. Your life goes on hold when you are managing and I will have to look at it. There are 12 people in the management team of Limerick and we will need time to digest this one”.
When asked if he felt pride in the fact that Limerick ran Cork close and entered a game with Meath as favourites, the Kenmare manager felt that, “pride is for the fans and the journalists. The team are down now and the only thing for us is that we are out of the championship, again”.
The late decision for me was a huge turning point. It is no conincidence that the smaller/weaker counties never get these decisions. Remember Cork’s penalty in the Munster final. Now they are in an All Ireland semi final. Limerick are the hard luck story once more. There is no consolation in that, but seeing as I am a journalist and a fan, I am proud of them.
Scorers for Limerick – S Kiely; J McCarthy, S Gallagher, M O’Riordan; S Lavin, S Lucey, P Ranahan; J Stokes, J Galvin; P Browne, C Joyce-Power, S Buckley (1-0); G Collins (0-2,2f), S Kelly (0-5,1f) I Ryan (0-2,1f). Subs: J O’Donovan (1-0) for Stokes (41); J Mullane for Browne (54); B O’Brien for Joyce-Power (62); E Hogan for Buckley (66).
