“There’s no question” – Donal Óg Cusack lays it on the line about late call that went against Clare

Patrick McCarry

“There’s nobody that can tell me otherwise.”

Donal Og Cusack and conclusive video evidence on The Sunday Game coverage combined to paint a picture of Clare’s hurlers having every right to feel hard done-by in Sunday’s Munster Hurling Final.

Limerick made it five-in-a-row as they pipped the Banner 1-23 to 1-22 but Clare were incensed that referee Liam Gordon ignored to legitimate, late claims for a free.

“On the last call,” the former Cork goalkeeper observed, “I don’t think there’s any question.

“It was a frantic last couple of minutes and to be a referee in a situation like that, you have to be a brave person. But there’s no question, this was a free to Clare. There’s nobody that can tell me otherwise.

“I know there was a lot of pressure and there were people that had come on the field, etcetera, etcetera, but Clare should have got a free for the last puck of the game. Peter Casey coming on to Tony Kelly, no question, should have been a free, should have been an equaliser. End of story.”

Clare legend Anthony Daly also spoke about that Munster final end-game, ahead of the RTE coverage of the Leinster final. He commented:

“It’s chaos at the end. The quick puck-out should have been allowed to be taken, we’d the pitch invasion then cleared the field. Two frees there should have been given. I’m still not whinging about it because we missed so much.”

Donal Og Cusack speaks about Clare vs. Limerick on the Sunday Game.

Donal Óg Cusack on Teddy McCarthy

During The Sunday Game broadcast, Donal Óg Cusack spoke with real warmth and poignancy about the late Cork dual star Teddy McCarthy. The Rebels legend passed away, last week, at the age of just 57. Cusack said:

“There’s a fierce sense of shock around Cork all week. I think that minutes silence today and the applause was testament to the regard Teddy is held in all over Ireland.

“I think yesterday the words of his son reminded us that he was a father and a grandfather so there’s nobody that will feel the loss more than the family. From a sporting point of view, he was a true sporting icon. He left and indelible mark on hurling, on football and on sport in Ireland in general.”