O’Loughlin Gaels selector hits out at ‘ridiculous decision’ as legitimate goal is missed in All-Ireland club hurling final

O’Loughlin Gaels manager Brian Hogan declined to come to the media interview room after his team’s All-Ireland club final defeat but his selector Nigel Skehan made his views to KCLR radio, describing as “ridiculous” the decision not to flag for a goal for Owen Wall when his shot was carried over the line by St Thomas’ full-back Fintan Burke in the 11th minute.

Burke clutched Wall’s shot short of the line but fell back across it with the ball in his grasp, an action clearly picked up in replays immediately afterwards.

In real time it was more difficult to see but that didn’t cut any ice with Skehan.

“A massive call missed in the first-half with the goal decision. A ridiculous decision to be honest with you, and I’m going to be straight about it, I’m not going to beat about the bush – a ridiculous decision. How they got it wrong I have no idea,” said a frustrated Skehan.

He accepted there were other debatable decisions, most notably James Regan’s red card just after half-time which reduced St Thomas’ to 14 for the remainder of the game.

“I wouldn’t think the sending off was a sending off either, to be fair to James Regan. “There were a lot of heavy hits in the game. (It was) probably unfortunate really that he got a red card. But we’ll go back to the goal decision.

“We didn’t play well enough in the second-half, we weren’t good enough on the ball. We probably lost the game…lost a bit of structure when they lost the man. Just hugely disappointing.”

Skehan credited O’Loughlin Gaels players for launching a stirring comeback when they were three points down on 59 minutes, getting back level before Éanna Burke’s wonder score to win it.

“To be fair to our players, they went to the 64th minute. We got level, David (Fogarty) got a fantastic score to level it. We were three down probably with 58, 59 minutes gone and we came back and were level,” he told the local station.

Get ahead of the day with the morning headlines at 7.30am and Fionnán Sheahan’s exclusive take on the day’s news every afternoon, with our free daily newsletter.