DONAL ÓG CUSACK has apologised to Carlow referee Paud O’Dwyer and his umpires after slating them on The Sunday Game eight days ago.
Cusack took O’Dwyer and the men in white coats to task after Limerick were awarded a goal for a shot that appeared, on first viewing, to go wide in the All-Ireland senior hurling qualifier at Cusack Park.
But former Cork netminder Cusack swallowed his pride last night and issued an apology after footage emerged during the week indicating that Paul Browne’s shot was, in fact, a goal.
The decision to allow Paul Browne's goal against Westmeath was correct. Lorraine O'Sullivan / INPHO
Lorraine O'Sullivan / INPHO / INPHO
Cusack originally went to town on O’Dwyer and Tommy Fitzharris, the umpire closest to the incident.
“You’ve a referee looking at it, you’ve an umpire two yards away from it. A sliotar does travel fast but it’s inexcusable.
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“There would want to be serious question marks asked over that decision,” he said on the night of the game.
But Cusack took the chance to row back on his comments last night:
“I think it’s very important for me…we’ve looked at the tapes during the week…and I think I owe an apology to Paud O’Dwyer and his officials because it looks as likely, or more likely, that I was wrong and he was right.
“My apologies on that and apologies for being so quick to judge and for being as harsh as I was.”
Meanwhile, Cusack is calling for the immediate introduction of HawkEye at Semple Stadium after a controversial episode during Saturday’s All-Ireland qualifier between Cork and Clare at Semple Stadium.
Patrick Horgan’s effort was eventually, and correctly, ruled out as the ball had gone wide but umpires initially signalled for a point.
Donal Óg Cusack wants HawkEye installed at Semple Stadium. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Cusack showed footage of Clare goalkeeper Patrick Kelly restraining an umpire as he went to wave the white flag.
“He (Kelly) stops the umpire from putting up his flag – this is pretty crazy stuff,” said Cusack.
“You would have to question the umpires here. It is tough for the umpire on the near post but the umpire on the back post nodded his head and said the ball was over the bar.
“I’d make two points to try and be constructive.
I‘d question the colour of the sliotar. Our ball that we use is white, look at the sky last night, how grey it was, (and) the posts are white.
“I’d also have to question the GAA in terms of why do we have HawkEye in Croke Park and in one of our premier hurling grounds, where most of our big games and probably our quarter-finals, will be played, why isn’t HawkEye still in that stadium?
“I think it actually degrades our games that it’s not in place.”
Unfortunately, it appears that HawkEye won’t visit Semple Stadium until 2016 at the earliest, as we reported last week.
'I owe an apology to Paud O'Dwyer and his officials' - Donal Óg's public climbdown
DONAL ÓG CUSACK has apologised to Carlow referee Paud O’Dwyer and his umpires after slating them on The Sunday Game eight days ago.
Cusack took O’Dwyer and the men in white coats to task after Limerick were awarded a goal for a shot that appeared, on first viewing, to go wide in the All-Ireland senior hurling qualifier at Cusack Park.
But former Cork netminder Cusack swallowed his pride last night and issued an apology after footage emerged during the week indicating that Paul Browne’s shot was, in fact, a goal.
Cusack originally went to town on O’Dwyer and Tommy Fitzharris, the umpire closest to the incident.
“You’ve a referee looking at it, you’ve an umpire two yards away from it. A sliotar does travel fast but it’s inexcusable.
“There would want to be serious question marks asked over that decision,” he said on the night of the game.
But Cusack took the chance to row back on his comments last night:
“My apologies on that and apologies for being so quick to judge and for being as harsh as I was.”
Meanwhile, Cusack is calling for the immediate introduction of HawkEye at Semple Stadium after a controversial episode during Saturday’s All-Ireland qualifier between Cork and Clare at Semple Stadium.
Patrick Horgan’s effort was eventually, and correctly, ruled out as the ball had gone wide but umpires initially signalled for a point.
Cusack showed footage of Clare goalkeeper Patrick Kelly restraining an umpire as he went to wave the white flag.
“He (Kelly) stops the umpire from putting up his flag – this is pretty crazy stuff,” said Cusack.
“You would have to question the umpires here. It is tough for the umpire on the near post but the umpire on the back post nodded his head and said the ball was over the bar.
“I’d make two points to try and be constructive.
“I’d also have to question the GAA in terms of why do we have HawkEye in Croke Park and in one of our premier hurling grounds, where most of our big games and probably our quarter-finals, will be played, why isn’t HawkEye still in that stadium?
“I think it actually degrades our games that it’s not in place.”
Unfortunately, it appears that HawkEye won’t visit Semple Stadium until 2016 at the earliest, as we reported last week.
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Apology Comp:All-Ireland Donal Óg Cusack GAA Hawkeye Paud O'Dwyer Limerick Westmeath