Cork GAA show zero class by blaming referee – and the weather – for All-Ireland exit

Take your beating.

Or take your replay, as it was when Cork and Kerry drew a thrilling Munster football final last month in Killarney. The Rebels were denied by a Fionn Fitzgerald wonder-point in the dying moments and were soundly beaten the second day, before going on to lose to Kildare last weekend in the qualifiers. Brian Cuthbert stepped down in a dignified way but it seems the county board on Leeside don't know the meaning of the word. They've issued a statement on Monday afternoon thanking Cuthbert but also blaming Padraig Hughes' decision to award a contentious penalty in the drawn game for the their All-Ireland exit. The decision was hugely controversial at the time, and was widely regarded as the incorrect call, but the Cork board have now hung the referee out to dry in a mean-spirited statement:

"The tremendous performance of the team in the drawn Munster Final has been widely acknowledged, and it is quite probable that but for a totally wrong refereeing decision in that game, Cork would now be in an All-Ireland Semi-Final.

"The short turn-around time between the replay, played in exhausting weather conditions, and the qualifier game against Kildare, cannot be ignored as a factor in that defeat."

Nothing about the players or being beaten by a better team.

Even if it was the wrong decision the fact is that Hughes didn't have the benefit of video replay and made the decision in a split-second from several yards away.

The board also blame the weather and trips to Ulster for their problems in 2015:

"Brian made great strides with a largely new-look team playing excellent football, and steered them through two successful Allianz League campaigns which saw them top the league in both years, reaching the semi-final in 2014 and the final in 2015. The 2015 campaign was particularly arduous given that it involved an unprecedented four trips to play Ulster teams away."

The statement also goes on to hit out at critics of Cuthbert on social media:

"In all these roles, Brian was acting as an unpaid volunteer, as are all Cork team managers, coaches and selectors. As Senior manager, he left no stone unturned in his efforts to bring success to Cork, despite facing regular, unjustified and personalised abusive criticism from certain elements of the media and which has continued since he has stepped down as manager."

The full statement, if you can believe it, is available on the Cork GAA website