RTÉ Panel Dumbfounded By Lack Of Red Cards After 'Vicious' Incidents In Dublin Vs Galway
While every hurling fan wants to see top level games be allowed to flow as much as possible, it must also be kept in mind that player safety is the most paramount concern whenever two teams take to the field. That is what made the refereeing decisions in the clash between Dublin and Galway this afternoon so surprising.
The authorities have certainly done quite a bit in recent times to cut down on potentially dangerous incidents in games, with high tackles and the swiping of hurls being particularly harshly punished.
As a result, it was a shock to see both Dublin and Galway manage to keep 15 men on the pitch during the opening half of their Leinster round robin clash.
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RTÉ Panel Dumbfounded After 'Vicious' Incidents In Dublin Vs GalwayWhile no supporter wants to see red cards handed out in important championship matches, it's difficult to see how both Dublin and Galway kept their full compliment of players on the field for the opening half of the fixture at Parnell Park.
There were no less than four potential red card incidents in the first 30 minutes of the game. Two of them, in particular, seemed like straightforward sending offs.
Galway goalkeeper Darach Fahy would get away with an apparent swipe out on a Dublin player early in the game, and while that was perhaps a borderline call, there was no debating the challenge that would come a few moments later.
Daithi Burke was the player that provided the challenge, with his shoulder making full on contact on with the head of Dublin midfielder Darragh Burke.
At the other end of the pitch, Dublin's Conor Donohoe would get a away with a horrific swipe of the hurl on the neck of an opposition player, somehow avoiding a red card.
Speaking on RTÉ at halftime, Joe Canning admitted that Galway were fortunate not to have two players sent off in the first half.
HT: DUB 1-07 GAL 0-10Should both sides be down players? The panel think both sides should be a man down due to incidents in the first half that weren't penalised.
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Coming out here, they're in a tangle. [Darach Fahy] is very lucky, he's very lucky. It could have been (a red card) easily, it could have been easily.
Here again, Daithi [Burke] is very lucky. He just meets him in the chest and up to the face.
Anthony Daly felt that Burke's high challenge was a certain red card.
Meanwhile, Jackie Tyrrell felt that one sending off for each team would have been a fair outcome. He would go on to label Donohoe's challenge as vicious, wondering how the officials managed to miss the danger involved with the tackle.
I would say it's probably one (red card) each on each side. I think Conor Donohoe and Daithi Burke are extremely lucky, they both should probably be (sent off).
Lets be fair, the two of them should probably do the lotto tonight they're so lucky to be on the field.
Conor Donohoe's, that is vicious. You could actually take the head off him doing that. How that was missed by the umpire a couple of feet in front of him, I don't know...
They're both very lucky, they both should be down to 14 men at least.
It was very surprising to see neither of those incidents punished with a red card, although the fact that both teams got away with equally poor challenges probably does balance things out somewhat.
Still, such challenges need to be punished more harshly in the future.
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