Donal Óg Cusack gives classy take on controversial late refereeing decision
SportsJOE
SportsJOE
Donal Óg Cusack gave a sporting take on the late free which wasn’t given to Cork in the All-Ireland final.
Some Cork supporters felt aggrieved that Robbie O’Flynn wasn’t given a free in the dying moments of the game when Clare corner back Conor Leen pulled his jersey.
But Speaking on The Sunday Game, the former Cork goalkeeper said ‘it would be wrong to let that colour the game.’ O’Flynn had caught Patrick Collins’ late free as Cork came hunting down an equaliser but his shot skewed wide under pressure from the Clare man.
The incident was brought up in the immediate aftermath of the game but Óg Cusack, who was part of the Cork jubilee team that were honoured before the game, gave a responsible take.
“No I wouldn’t. I know. I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t.
“I bet you Robbie O’Flynn here…I wouldn’t hold that against Clare, I’m telling you.
“Clare won the game. Robbie O’Flynn, he’ll still say he should have put the ball over the bar.
“I guarantee you. He still got his shot off. It’d be wrong. It’d be wrong.”
Anthony Daly then said that the ‘jersey was pulled’ but while Óg Cusack agreed, he doesn’t feel it should take away in any way from Clare’s victory.
“It was pulled. It’d be wrong to let that colour the game. There were loads of different incidents that could have went one way or the other.
“It was a foul. We know that. The jersey was pulled but he still got his chance to put it over the bar.
“So as a Corkperson, and I’m conscious of who I’m representing here today, I wouldn’t be going on about that.
Cork supporters pointed to this and referee Johnny Murphy’s decision not to give a black card penalty decision when David McInerney pulled down Robbie O’Flynn in the second half as he ran through on the Clare goal. The Limerick whistle consulted with his umpires but gave the lesser punishment of a free.
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