Daylight Robbery

30th Jul 2007

Daylight Robbery
Danny Elbow

It seems like an obvious title but it was the phrase on everyone's lips as we gushed out of Croke Park yesterday, bleary eyed - our hearts still pounding. The euro signs at GAA headquarters are flashing this morning as they've guaranteed themselves another€1.2 million for next weekend's replay after the deliberate soilking of Cork's victory yesterday in Croke Park.

Donal Óg and Sully test their hurleys against their...balls

It seems if you're a high profile Corkman involved in the interests of player welfare (i.e. a member of the GPA) the chances of a referee giving a free against you are ten times higher. Rock solid full back Diarmuid O'Sullivan found himself at the receiving end of several decisions that found him guilty of simply standing his ground against Waterford forwards who fired their bodies against him.

It's easy to give them against Sully when he's in contact with opposition players so often - pinning our All-Star keeper is tougher. The biggest incorrect refereeing decision against Cork came in injury time against the biggest Rebel of them all: our angel in red and white stripes Donal Óg Cusack.

They got him against Tipp for allegedly stepping outside the square when launching a puck out - a law that is rarely if ever enforced. A few inches too far however, was enough for the GAA to justify penalising our hero and conceding a converted 65 - the margin by which Tipperary would lead Cork by at the final whistle.

Saving not one but two blasts from Waterford's misfiring forwards Cork's beloved goalkeeper was then smashed to the ground on top of the ball by Paul Flynn - the source of the second failed attempt to breach Cusack's guard. The referee, puffing his way towards the scene from some fifty yards away initially did nothing except look tired and worn.

After a brief consultation with the scoreboard (as well as his wilting morals) and sensing that his status among the GAA's high powered accountants would be forever enhanced he decided to give a match levelling free to Waterford who were seconds away from more "Croker Choker" headlines.

Todays Examiner: They don't come more Cork than our dear Donal Óg Cusack.

The real injustice is exactly this: through out the entire match the referee consistently favoured a "throw-in" whenever a situation arose where five or six players had surrounded a grounded sliothar in close proximity.

At worst a repeat of this should have been the outcome. Donal Óg had been thrust to the ground on top of the ball. He couldn't get up. What could he do?

For all it's faults soccer vigorously protects goalkeepers - the difficulty of their job is recognised where even breathing too heavily on the net minder invariably results in a free out.

Hurling goalkeepers have the additional hazard of putting their unprotected bodies in front of a rock hard leather sliothar travelling at 90mph. And remember it was only in 1997 that misfortunate Limerick goalkeeper Joe Quaid's testicle exploded when hit by a sliothar. Later the rest of his second testacle had to be amputated. Still there is no sympathy from referees - especially for those wearing the blood and bandage.

The stalemate should have been resolved by the same method as had been applied for the previous seventy minutes (as well as the rest of the championship) but instead the greedy eyed money-hungry cash sucking corporate forces at Croker awarded the Deise a free - which was duly converted. Semple Stadium has over 35,000 seats which will cost €25 to sit on. A further 15,000 of us will pay €20 to stand behind one of the goals.

That'll earn the GAA a tidy €1.2 million, not to mind all the vats of chips and grease they can sell to Waterford fans.

For all his bravery and misfortune you should note that Donal Óg Cusack won't get a cent of it. If Waterford go on to win an All Ireland we will be the first one's to congratulate them...albeit as the first county to truly benefit from the anti-Cork bias that is now rampant in the GAA.