WATERFORD ATTACKER MAURICE Shanahan has played down the incident in last month’s All-Ireland quarter-final which saw Dublin’s Liam Rushe sent-off for striking the Deise player.
Shanahan has described the incident as simply a ‘rush of blood’ from Rushe and insists the Dublin defender is ‘not a dirty hurler’.
“Look, myself and Liam had a good old battle, we had a few words. If Waterford were losing by five points and our championship was slipping away, could I guarantee I wouldn’t have done the same thing? No I can’t.
“I’ve no problem with Liam, none at all, he’s a fantastic hurler. I’m not a dirty hurler, but I play off the cuff, I might say things, but I don’t go over the line.
“I’ll show my emotions on the field. It doesn’t bother me, the people who were criticising me in recent weeks probably did much worse themselves on the field of play.
“It was just a rush of blood from Liam, he’s not a dirty hurler either. I don’t want my year to be remembered for that, it wasn’t in my head to get him sent off.”
After the satisfaction of that victory over Dublin, today Waterford head for a collision with Kilkenny with an All-Ireland final place at stake.
Waterford enter the game in a positive mood after bouncing back from their Munster final loss to Tipperary by seeing off Dublin.
“Everyone of us made a pledge in the dressing-room that we would go out the next day and cut out the mistakes we had made,” outlined Shanahan.
“We made mistakes against Dublin too, but they are not always noticed when you win. But Derek McGrath did show us where we went wrong.
“We’ve done a lot of gym work this year, it has been the first year, we have really gone at the gym and it is paying dividends, you can see it in us.
We had played Dublin in a challenge match just after the Munster semi-final and they bullied us physically, they pushed us around the place one night in Nowlan Park.
“But we didn’t let it happen in Thurles a fortnight ago. We knew what Dublin were going to bring to us in the quarter-final, but we decided it was about time we brought it to them. Now it steps up again against Kilkenny.”
Shanahan is no angel
Nor does he claim to be
People speak about sledging being a problem in football, but Shanahan sledged a fair few times in that game, including the red card incident!
Winning the next ball. That’s what counts. Make sure to remind the lad mouthing off about the fact that he didn’t win that ball.
That’s what’s required, not lashing out.
People over exaggerating this “sledging” topic.
still though Liam could have digged him in the side or give him a clatter across the legs. striking a lad in the head (I know he had a helmet on but) with a hurl is a very dirty stroke.
Shane, a dig in the stomach is worse. It certainly hurts more.
If he didn’t want to get him sent off, as he claims, why did he go down like he was shot after the contact?
Eh, probably because he had just got hit with a hurl?
A wee tap to his face guard, exactly the reaction he was trying to provoke. Hit the ground like a sack of spuds then in order to make sure rushe got the line.
It’s a shame rushe lashed out but can understand his frustration, he’d Waterford players hanging out of him all game & got nothing from the ref. Maurice was in his face & grabbing his Hurley all day as well as mouthing off. Not to condone what he did but it’s understandable in the circumstances.
Shane there is no justifying striking in the head with the hurl. Absolutely none. The only criteria is not whether somebody got injured or not.
Not the first digression by rushe either !
Maurice, imagine if you’d been sledging your team mate Austin Gleeson, you’d have been lucky to get up so quickly.
You might want to check your facts re that dig at Austin Gleeson sean leahy. It wasn’t Austin, it was an other. Its uneducated gombeens like you who jump on the bandwagon.
You might want to clear up your facts on that dig at austin gleeson sean leahy. It wasn’t austin, but gombeens like you jump on the bandwagon.