GALWAY MANAGER CATHAL Murray believes Cork’s goal involved a throw ball — and says he was told it would be a penalty instead — in today’s All-Ireland senior camogie final.
The Rebels were crowned back-to-back champions after a 1-16 to 0-16 win at Croke Park, with Katrina Mackey’s 36th-minute goal crucial:
Brilliant from Amy O'Connor to set up Katrina Mackey for the opening goal
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“I believe it was a throw ball,” Murray told reporters afterwards. “I questioned it on the line, I was told it was going to be a penalty and the reason they just let it play is because it was going to be a penalty anyway.”
Yet to see a replay at the time, he later clarified that he was told by one of the officials on the sideline.
“But you still have to score a penalty, so I wouldn’t agree with them there at all,” Murray continued. “It doesn’t make sense to me, but at the same time that’s what I was told.
“But I’m not going to make excuses. I gave out last year down in Nowlan Park – I felt we didn’t get decisions that day (of the semi-final). I’m not going to go down that road today.
“Look, I’m super proud of our players. In fairness to Liz [Dempsey], I think she’s a really good referee. I think it was a really good spectacle out there, I think she had to let it go.
“I think there’s one or two harsh calls near the finish but I’m not just going to go down that road, to be honest with you. I’m just super proud of the players, and it’s just unfortunate that we weren’t good enough to pull it off for a finish.”
Cork boss Ger Manley, meanwhile, argued that Mackey was fouled in the process of attempting to strike the sliotar. “They say she threw it in, did she? I don’t care how she threw it in, but she threw it in!
“I didn’t see it but from what I saw, I’d say she went to strike it and she was fouled, and when she threw the ball up to hit it, it went in. She was in the process of striking it, I thought she was fouled. Amy O’Connor was definitely fouled when she gave the ball across. It’s gone in, it was a goal.
“When I saw it, I kind of went ‘Wow,’ but they pucked the ball out quick, done and dusted. I’m glad it was us.”
Manley added that this was “way better” than last year’s final victory. “I’d rather win a game like this any day than a game by 25 points. We were put to the pin of our collars today. It was a great game to win.
“If we had lost, I would have been sick, but a great game to win.”
Murray also took issue with the “charging rule,” for which he felt Galway were unfairly penalised.
“I have been in camogie for six years and that rule is the craziest rule, it just does not work. If you are going to bring physicality to the game, and that is what everybody wants, we all want the game to be refereed that way, but then you have this rule where you are in possession of the ball, trying to work a score, somebody stands up in front of you and it’s a free the other way.
“It’s a madness rule, it needs to be taken out. But I liked the way the game was refereed, it looked like a brilliant spectacle out there.
“Just bitterly disappointed.”
