Joe Canning has a go at Shefflin for moaning at referees

[Asal Mor]

Star is not a 'great player'. He's a very effective weapon when he's on his game. But I digress.

Dead right there AZ.

As for Joe's comments they were a bit careless and the media jumped on them straight away. I'd rather he hadn't said them as it just puts more pressure and attention on him going into the final and he has enough of that already. I don't agree with the likes of Lar's comments that it gives Kilkenny an edge though. It's an All-Ireland final - what more motivation can ya get? And they were supposed to have an edge in the last game from the Leinster final beating. Still, better off saying nothing Joe.

[Clarin Pearl]

does anyone know where the interview came from?  Canning wasn't just hanging around waiting for the phone to ring. The Galway camp have been so disciplined with the media all season. However true, its the sort of stuff that could have waited for another 3 weeks.  Because he has said nothing all season, he should have expected that when he did, it would be jumped on.

Nothing in it really but should have known better.

[Asal Mor]

does anyone know where the interview came from?  Canning wasn't just hanging around waiting for the phone to ring. The Galway camp have been so disciplined with the media all season. However true, its the sort of stuff that could have waited for another 3 weeks.  Because he has said nothing all season, he should have expected that when he did, it would be jumped on.

Nothing in it really but should have known better.

It was a publicity event for the upcoming u-21 final between Tipp and Clare. He succeeded in generating lots of publicity anyway, but it will benefit the Senior final more than the U-21.

[Clarin Pearl]

excuse my ignorance, i don't like in ireland anymore. really didn't know what the interview was for.

So....
Tipperary.... are playing ... Clare.

And to generate some agro headlines, they had to drag in Galway & Kilkenny.

The country is indeed in a terrible state.

[imtommygunn]

In the context of the whole interview it just illustrates the media doing what they do best - causing a stir out of not very much.

Shefflin has started whining a lot to refs in hurling as has gooch in football. Neither cover themselves in glory by doing this. Shefflin was making himself look silly in the first game and should have been in the book for it.

[brokencrossbar1]

Wouldn't it be great of RTE did an auld build up to the match with 2 head shots of Canning and  King Henry superimposed on  something like a Croke Park back-drop with the tag line  "And now it's personal!".  Jazz the replay up a wee bit.

[Onlooker]

excuse my ignorance, i don't like in ireland anymore. really didn't know what the interview was for.

So....
Tipperary.... are playing ... Clare.

And to generate some agro headlines, they had to drag in Galway & Kilkenny.

The country is indeed in a terrible state.

It is Kilkenny who are playing Clare.  Tipp were beaten in the Munster Final.

[Asal Mor]

Yeah Kilkenny of course. I knew that but I'm getting old.

[Cyril Farrell fan]

Cats whipped into frenzy over phantom controversy

By Tommy Conlon
Sunday September 16 2012

Judging by the reaction, Joe Canning may well be wondering if instead of criticising Henry Shefflin, he might've been better off slagging the Prophet Muhammad.

Peace be upon him. The Prophet, that is, not Joe. Scratch that. The Prophet and Joe. Actually, the Prophet and Joe and Henry too. Peace be upon them all.

But unfortunately it might be a bit late for peace. There are unconfirmed reports this weekend that the citizens of Kilkenny have taken any photo they could find of Canning and are batin' it to a pulp with their shoes. Anger is rising. Effigies are being burned. Armed uprisings are spreading like wildfire across the middle east, from Ballyragget to Mullinavat. Fears are mounting that they are getting ready to march on Eyre Square. Galway people intending to visit the Marble City for stag parties, or indeed hen nights, are being strongly advised not to travel. Or, if they must, to pretend they're from Mayo.

The Government, meanwhile, is putting emergency plans in place. Diplomatic manoeuvres are under way. The FCA is said to be on standby. Mary Robinson is organising a high-powered delegation. She will, if necessary, conduct truce talks with Kilkenny's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomenei Cody. Peace be upon him too.

Dear, oh dear, oh dear. Sigh. Deep sigh. The reaction has been so far over the top it has come down the other side and met itself coming back. Eddie Keher reportedly pronounced himself "horrified" by the remarks. Now, Eddie must have led a fairly sheltered life if Canning's comments were enough to horrify him. What word would he use then to describe the Rwandan genocide?

Calling the lost luggage department: a suitcase of perspective has gone missing, and a bag of proportion too. In fairness, several media outlets also lost both items in their coverage. The headlines and reportage grotesquely exaggerated the content of Canning's remarks, and their putative consequences. And reporters then wonder why players routinely serve up useless platitudes whenever they're interviewed. It's for precisely this reason.

The Irish Independent misquoted Canning with their front- page splash. It was done for maximum effect, right under the masthead: YOU'RE 'UNSPORTING' CANNING TELLS SHEFFLIN. Canning said nothing of the sort. Rather, he'd complained at a press promotion on Wednesday about one specific incident from the game last Sunday. Referee Barry Kelly had awarded Galway a free for a foul on Damien Hayes. Shefflin, explained Canning, ran 30 or 40 yards to remonstrate with Kelly and Hayes. "That's not sportsmanlike," he added.

To repeat: Canning was criticising Shefflin for one specific incident. He wasn't saying that Shefflin was an unsporting player. This isn't some abstract matter of semantics. The difference is important. One is about an incident, a single moment. The other is about a player's character; it suggests that the player's behaviour on the field is habitually unsporting. Canning did not say this about Shefflin. No one in their right mind would say it about a man of Shefflin's class. He is obviously a thoroughly honourable sportsman.

But Henry is not a saint either. He is a flesh-and-blood mortal. He is not beyond criticism. Even the most decent and disciplined of players can lose themselves momentarily in the heat of battle. Given the reaction in Kilkenny, however, Canning could be forgiven for thinking that he's insulted the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela, rolled into one.

It should be said that Shefflin's supporters have reason to defend their man here. Because Canning was wrong to criticise him on this score. A player giving out to a referee and an opponent isn't news. There was nothing exceptional or objectionable about it whatsoever. The example he gave concerning Shefflin was made in a broader context. Kilkenny, he said, were "a bit cuter" at manipulating the referee; they "influenced" frees. It was if anything a backhanded compliment. And if he's right, you'd expect nothing less from multiple champions anyway.

Perhaps he was suggesting that Shefflin uses his aura -- his halo, so to speak -- to pressurise referees. But presumably that's one of the perks of being a legend. It'd be an awful waste of an aura if he didn't. Joe might one day try shining his own halo in front of a referee, to see if it works.

But he had no grounds for complaint on this occasion. And Shefflin was entitled to the defence advanced by his many spokesmen in Kilkenny; they just didn't have to start slapping their heads and tearing their garments.

Canning also revealed that his marker, JJ Delaney, wasn't best pleased when Shefflin opted to point the late penalty rather than go for goal. He obviously heard Delaney's reaction. The gist of it was that "JJ wasn't too impressed!" This was clearly said in a joking manner. No offence was intended at all. But again it was jumped on by the media and inflated into a phantom controversy.

One would guess that what Canning implied here, but didn't say, was that Delaney probably fucked the head off Shefflin for not winning them the match there and then. He wouldn't be the first member of a full-back line to swear at his forwards for missing a vital score. There was no more to it than that.

On Thursday morning, Shefflin woke up to some unflattering headlines. But Canning woke up to them too. And ultimately it was he, not Henry, who'd been screwed.

thecouch@independent.ie

- Tommy Conlon

[seafoid]

Cats whipped into frenzy over phantom controversy

By Tommy Conlon
Sunday September 16 2012

Judging by the reaction, Joe Canning may well be wondering if instead of criticising Henry Shefflin, he might've been better off slagging the Prophet Muhammad.

Peace be upon him. The Prophet, that is, not Joe. Scratch that. The Prophet and Joe. Actually, the Prophet and Joe and Henry too. Peace be upon them all.

But unfortunately it might be a bit late for peace. There are unconfirmed reports this weekend that the citizens of Kilkenny have taken any photo they could find of Canning and are batin' it to a pulp with their shoes. Anger is rising. Effigies are being burned. Armed uprisings are spreading like wildfire across the middle east, from Ballyragget to Mullinavat. Fears are mounting that they are getting ready to march on Eyre Square. Galway people intending to visit the Marble City for stag parties, or indeed hen nights, are being strongly advised not to travel. Or, if they must, to pretend they're from Mayo.

The Government, meanwhile, is putting emergency plans in place. Diplomatic manoeuvres are under way. The FCA is said to be on standby. Mary Robinson is organising a high-powered delegation. She will, if necessary, conduct truce talks with Kilkenny's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomenei Cody. Peace be upon him too.

Dear, oh dear, oh dear. Sigh. Deep sigh. The reaction has been so far over the top it has come down the other side and met itself coming back. Eddie Keher reportedly pronounced himself "horrified" by the remarks. Now, Eddie must have led a fairly sheltered life if Canning's comments were enough to horrify him. What word would he use then to describe the Rwandan genocide?

Calling the lost luggage department: a suitcase of perspective has gone missing, and a bag of proportion too. In fairness, several media outlets also lost both items in their coverage. The headlines and reportage grotesquely exaggerated the content of Canning's remarks, and their putative consequences. And reporters then wonder why players routinely serve up useless platitudes whenever they're interviewed. It's for precisely this reason.

The Irish Independent misquoted Canning with their front- page splash. It was done for maximum effect, right under the masthead: YOU'RE 'UNSPORTING' CANNING TELLS SHEFFLIN. Canning said nothing of the sort. Rather, he'd complained at a press promotion on Wednesday about one specific incident from the game last Sunday. Referee Barry Kelly had awarded Galway a free for a foul on Damien Hayes. Shefflin, explained Canning, ran 30 or 40 yards to remonstrate with Kelly and Hayes. "That's not sportsmanlike," he added.

To repeat: Canning was criticising Shefflin for one specific incident. He wasn't saying that Shefflin was an unsporting player. This isn't some abstract matter of semantics. The difference is important. One is about an incident, a single moment. The other is about a player's character; it suggests that the player's behaviour on the field is habitually unsporting. Canning did not say this about Shefflin. No one in their right mind would say it about a man of Shefflin's class. He is obviously a thoroughly honourable sportsman.

But Henry is not a saint either. He is a flesh-and-blood mortal. He is not beyond criticism. Even the most decent and disciplined of players can lose themselves momentarily in the heat of battle. Given the reaction in Kilkenny, however, Canning could be forgiven for thinking that he's insulted the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela, rolled into one.

It should be said that Shefflin's supporters have reason to defend their man here. Because Canning was wrong to criticise him on this score. A player giving out to a referee and an opponent isn't news. There was nothing exceptional or objectionable about it whatsoever. The example he gave concerning Shefflin was made in a broader context. Kilkenny, he said, were "a bit cuter" at manipulating the referee; they "influenced" frees. It was if anything a backhanded compliment. And if he's right, you'd expect nothing less from multiple champions anyway.

Perhaps he was suggesting that Shefflin uses his aura -- his halo, so to speak -- to pressurise referees. But presumably that's one of the perks of being a legend. It'd be an awful waste of an aura if he didn't. Joe might one day try shining his own halo in front of a referee, to see if it works.

But he had no grounds for complaint on this occasion. And Shefflin was entitled to the defence advanced by his many spokesmen in Kilkenny; they just didn't have to start slapping their heads and tearing their garments.

Canning also revealed that his marker, JJ Delaney, wasn't best pleased when Shefflin opted to point the late penalty rather than go for goal. He obviously heard Delaney's reaction. The gist of it was that "JJ wasn't too impressed!" This was clearly said in a joking manner. No offence was intended at all. But again it was jumped on by the media and inflated into a phantom controversy.

One would guess that what Canning implied here, but didn't say, was that Delaney probably fucked the head off Shefflin for not winning them the match there and then. He wouldn't be the first member of a full-back line to swear at his forwards for missing a vital score. There was no more to it than that.

On Thursday morning, Shefflin woke up to some unflattering headlines. But Canning woke up to them too. And ultimately it was he, not Henry, who'd been screwed.

thecouch@independent.ie

- Tommy Conlon

it's hard to take a journalist looking at a media manufactured story sideways seriously.He still wrings an article out of it.
That is the whole point of the story.

[Colombia]

Wonder will we get a similar reaction to when Dinny Cahill gave opinions on the 2004 Cork team before the All-Ireland quarter final that year?

[Glensman]

Wonder will we get a similar reaction to when Dinny Cahill gave opinions on the 2004 Cork team before the All-Ireland quarter final that year?

Leave us (and that day) out of this!!

We said nothing to nobody...ya hear?!

[seafoid]

GALWAY HURLING manager Anthony Cunningham last night sought to clear up any misunderstanding over Joe Canning's recent remarks regarding Henry Shefflin. The Portumna man alluded to Shefflin seeking a free from the referee and said it was "not sportsmanlike". Cunningham rejected the idea Canning's comments were orchestrated by the Galway camp.
"That's not where any of we three guys come from or any of the players and for someone to think that is disappointing, from our point of view. So there was no set up.
"But in the context of that whole interview Joe was actually praising Henry Shefflin and it is something we want from our players is to lead like that. And it was the finest example of leadership that you could see and through his execution he dragged Kilkenny into that game and wanted the ball so much. And we have asked our players to show leadership like that.
Henry – his record speaks for itself and we may not see his like again."

[Premier Emperor]

GALWAY HURLING manager Anthony Cunningham last night sought to clear up any misunderstanding over Joe Canning's recent remarks regarding Henry Shefflin. The Portumna man alluded to Shefflin seeking a free from the referee and said it was "not sportsmanlike". Cunningham rejected the idea Canning's comments were orchestrated by the Galway camp.
"That's not where any of we three guys come from or any of the players and for someone to think that is disappointing, from our point of view. So there was no set up.
"But in the context of that whole interview Joe was actually praising Henry Shefflin and it is something we want from our players is to lead like that. And it was the finest example of leadership that you could see and through his execution he dragged Kilkenny into that game and wanted the ball so much. And we have asked our players to show leadership like that.
Henry – his record speaks for itself and we may not see his like again."

When you're explaining you're losing.
Cody isn't going to call the attack dogs off Canning now!

[CitySlicker11]

The attack dogs may come, and they attempted to in the drawn game, but Joe Canning's abilities are above that stuff, I still expect him to have a great game in the replay.