Heâs a fucking gormless gobshite. His brother Paddy is brilliant
Brian Gavin: Ridiculous that John Keenan has to retire but ref went out on a high
The Wicklow official was officiating his last top intercounty game at Croke Park on Sunday.
MAN IN THE MIDDLE: Referee John Keenan instructs players to move back during the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship final match between Kilkenny and Limerick at Croke Park. Picture: Daire Brennan/Sportsfile
MON, 24 JUL, 2023 - 07:01
I think this All-Ireland final confirmed both for me and many others that we are seeing the greatest team in the history of hurling.
There will be challenges to that, of course, but you look at the intense competition Limerick are facing year after year and they are coming back every time looking for more and bettering themselves each time.
John Keenan wouldnât have cared about a Limerick four-in-a-row or Kilkenny bridging an eight-year gap to their last All-Ireland title. All he wanted was to control and contribute to the game and he certainly did as much as he could.
In his first final in his last-ever senior inter-county game because of a ridiculous rule that means he must now step down having hit the age of 50, he did his club Aughrim and his county Wicklow very proud.
This man suffered severely after last yearâs classic Munster final between Limerick and Clare when he would have come away from Thurles believing, as some many of us did, that he had played his part in making the game one for the ages.
Instead, the committee in charge found fault with a couple of incidents that he missed and he wasnât given another appointment for the remainder of the championship. He was told to go back to the drawing board and it would have been a huge test of his character.
He would only have been human to have had second thoughts about packing it all in but he grinned and bared it and together with his team gave it one last hurrah this season. For it to go as well as it did here is extremely fitting.
What made this such a positive display was Johnâs signalling when awarding frees especially in the first half. Players were left in no doubt when he was calling fouls. He gave great advantage to Tom Phelan after he had been fouled by William OâDonoghue and the Limerick man was subsequently booked. Diarmaid Byrnes was also rightly carded for a late hit on Mikey Butler.
John wasnât falling for the old helmet trick either as two Limerick players in quick succession took off their headgear. Instead, he instructed that the game be played on and those players werenât slow in getting back to the action.
Pause
Unmute
In the second half, Kilkenny could have issue with a couple of frees given to Limerick. Aaron Gillane was awarded one that looked on the soft side and Richie Reid was harshly adjudged to have committed a foul close to the Hogan Stand side.
With some validity, Kilkenny cried out for a 65 when a wide was given, Limerick went down the field and scored through GearĂłid Hegarty. There was a two-point swing right there but credit to Johnâs umpire at that Hill 16 end in the second half for having no hesitation in awarding Paddy Deeganâs goal when the ferocity of the shot burst the net.
In its totality, it was a fine performance by John and there was a sense of justice in him being afforded this send-off. Not that he was given the game for sympathyâs sake or any sort of sentimentality â he more than deserved it based on his performances this year â and it reflected well on the appointments committee as it did on him.
Looking back, it was a reasonably satisfactory year for hurling officiating. Johnny Murphy has been unlucky in the sense his county Limerick have been going so well. Otherwise, he might have refereed a final by now seeing as heâs one of the most improved referees in the country.
In the off-season, the playing rules committee are trialling new measures at colleges freshers level to try and curb the number of illegal hand-passes in the game. It will be followed with interest because there are far too many being allowed and something has to be done about them.
As for next Sundayâs football final, either David Gough or SeĂĄn Hurson would have been the right man to take charge of what should be a cracker and David knows Dublin and Kerry well after the drawn 2019 final. He is operating at such a high level at the moment and can contribute to a great occasion.
He is not the most mobile.
He is likely to be needed if we scrape over the line against Wexford.
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I wonder will gillane win hurler of the year?
He was barely on route for an all star material after the round robin I think.
Now he was phenomenal versus Clare and extremely good against Galway too but lawlor had his match really at the weekend so has he done enough?
Itâs hard to pick a hurler of the year imo.
He was the unanimous pick on the radio panel straight after the final
Heâs very short with the bookies. Done deal.
The bookmakers arenât always right.
Gillane got clutch scores from play when it mattered all year. Even the Cork game (which was basically knockout) he made an outrageous catch in the first half and laid it off to Flanagan to fire home.
Munster final. MOTM. 1-04 or 1-05 from play. Nailed all the frees.
Semi final. 1-01 in the first half off two balls when Limerick were really treading water. Buried the match clinching second goal.
Final - 0-02 from play, a couple of assists, fouled for another free he pointed himself. That score from under the Cusack in the second half that pulled them level was outrageous. Didnât have much space, a little feint and then split the posts after going a mile up in the air.
Hayes is class, obviously, but Gillane has to be HOTY.
He probably wonât get a nomination but would have Dan Morrissey on the shortlist for HOTY. From Waterford on the first day he was rock solid all the way, really stepped up as a leader when Finn got hurt. Class player and a remarkable transformation from the player who was there around 2015 and 2016. Heâs indispensable now.
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Drop Conor Whelan, Shane OâDonnell into that system and they are every bit as good. Gillane is benefiting hugely from the quality of delivery and space afforded him due those around him. On the other hand, I canât think of anyone who would be as good as Kyle Hayes at what he does. The complete athlete & hurler. (IMHO)
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The All-Star forwards pick themselves this year IMO.
T Morrissey, Reid, SOD
E Cody, Gillane, Whelan.
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It has never been as clearcut.
Iâd agree. He was considered for 6 when Hannon got injured but they obviously prefer him on the wing where he can rip it up and do damage freely.
Gillane laid off some really lovely passes for scores on a few occasions this year too, something people wouldnât immediately associate with him.
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I think the three in the full forward line are certs. Was TJ all that good this year to merit an All star? He made a few telling contributions in the semi final but aside from that he didnât stand out in any other match that I can recall.
But I suppose there is no other kilkenny forward in the mix and a number of the limerick lads form was patchy at times so there arenât too many alternatives
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Huw lawlor maybe? I donât thinkTJ merits one.
Apologies, in the forwards. Iâd imagine Cody will get one, but shouldnât. Iâd reckon 4 Limericks and SOD and Whaylan would be about right in truth.
Eoin Cody has to get one as well
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Lawlor and/or Cody should be kilkennyâs nomination for hoty. I was speaking more specifically to the six forward spots. Aside from Cody kilkenny didnât have too many standout forwards this year.
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Agreed.
TJ is a stonewall off narrative alone. I didnât think he was that great at all in the final but he got lauded for it. Par for the course after years and years of showing up. In the same way, Tony Kelly could well sneak one even if it would be thoroughly undeserved.