St Brigids v Ballymun St Patricks Day 2013

[Syferus]

I thought Hughes had a terrible game at the match apart from allowing a good amount of physicality, lots of bizarre calls and missed calls, but looking back at a little bit on the TV some of the calls that were bemusing in the stands made sense.

Still feel his decisions favoured Ballymun significantly - yellow carding the Kickams no. 6 when it was the no. 11 who fouled (and who was on a yellow and even afterwards continued to commit obvious and cynical fouls that weren't called) and a blatant push on Frankie that lead to Ballymun's final point come to mind.

Like McStay said, it was probably the wrong decision to put a Cross man in charge of a match involving the team that just beat them, it's not like Hughes set out rig the game but the optics of any decision against Brigid's become quite unsavoury for the GAA.

It's great having won but had we lost by a point or two there would have been some very real sour grapes from a refereeing perspective, Ballymun were second best from the 10th minute onwards and I think anyone who thought it was Ballymun that threw the game away were watching a different game to me.

Really? I'm definitely not his biggest fan but I thought he refereed the game very well. For once I didn't really notice him on the field and I thought he helped the game as a spectacle. I'd say there wasn't a better match all weekend.

That said though I don't think he should have been given the final to referee considering his club were dumped out by Brigids in the semi final.

That sentiment was widespread at the match. Like I said, some of the fouls that didn't make any sense in the stand did when you saw them on tv. It doesn't absolve the fact Ballymun should have been playing with 14 men for the last 45 minutes of the game, though.

Or maybe you were just totally immersed in the emotion of it all as a Brigids supporter. I would agree he should have sent the 11 off but but other than that his performance was very good I thought. And I'm saying that from a neutrals perspective and if anything I was glad to see Brigids win it.

That foul happened directly in front of me. The simple fact is the 11 was on a yellow and Hughes wrongly gave a yellow card to the 6 when it was a one-on-one foul involving the Ballymun 11. He can't bend the rules there, if the 6 gets the yellow, the 11 should have got it no matter how much it have effected the game. To me that's basic competency stuff from a referee but, again, some of the other calls that incensed the crowd were the right ones looking back at it on the tv.


EDIT: the wrong card incident actually happened in the 29th minute, I'm watching the full game right now. The 6 was cute in making Hughes think he was the one who ran into Stackie because he knew Leehy (11) was on a yellow. Still shocking for stuff for such a big decision to be wrongly called in an AI final. Hughes' linemen should have helped him out too, there was one very near that foul.

[emmetryan]

Tactical analysis of St Brigid's win over Ballymun in the club final now up http://action81.com/blog/?p=6950

[Throw ball]

No harm to you Syferus but Hughes had a good game and if all referees had as good of games matches would be much more entertaining.

[Milltown Row2]

No harm to you Syferus but Hughes had a good game and if all referees had as good of games matches would be much more entertaining.

+1

Decent game and not one punter watching the game mentioned him at all during the match, unlike the other game, the referee got a few wrong IMO

[INDIANA]

I thought Hughes had a terrible game at the match apart from allowing a good amount of physicality, lots of bizarre calls and missed calls, but looking back at a little bit on the TV some of the calls that were bemusing in the stands made sense.

Still feel his decisions favoured Ballymun significantly - yellow carding the Kickams no. 6 when it was the no. 11 who fouled (and who was on a yellow and even afterwards continued to commit obvious and cynical fouls that weren't called) and a blatant push on Frankie that lead to Ballymun's final point come to mind.

Like McStay said, it was probably the wrong decision to put a Cross man in charge of a match involving the team that just beat them, it's not like Hughes set out rig the game but the optics of any decision against Brigid's become quite unsavoury for the GAA.

It's great having won but had we lost by a point or two there would have been some very real sour grapes from a refereeing perspective, Ballymun were second best from the 10th minute onwards and I think anyone who thought it was Ballymun that threw the game away were watching a different game to me.

Really? I'm definitely not his biggest fan but I thought he refereed the game very well. For once I didn't really notice him on the field and I thought he helped the game as a spectacle. I'd say there wasn't a better match all weekend.

That said though I don't think he should have been given the final to referee considering his club were dumped out by Brigids in the semi final.

That sentiment was widespread at the match. Like I said, some of the fouls that didn't make any sense in the stand did when you saw them on tv. It doesn't absolve the fact Ballymun should have been playing with 14 men for the last 45 minutes of the game, though.

Why should they have 14 men?
You're always whingeing. If Roscommon won an all-ireland you'd still be moaning.

[Rossfan]

Why should they have 14 men?
You're always whingeing. If Roscommon won an all-ireland you'd still be moaning.

If the right man had've been booked they would have been down to 14.
Anyway I keep telling ye not to pass any heed of Syfeen- he's only 13 after all - but he's still entitled to point out something a ref got wrong though.

[Rudi]

Super performance by Brigids to come back from 8 points down after 7 mins is a great achievement. Was looking like a clan na gale horror show for a while. Thought the ref did well, made the odd mistake, but sure don't we all. Both teams deserve huge credit for a clean non cynical game of football, probably one of the best club finals of recent times.

[Jinxy]

No need for McStay to bring up Hughes and the Crossmaglen angle after the game.
FFS, you've just won an All-Ireland.
Be happy.

[Syferus]

I thought Hughes had a terrible game at the match apart from allowing a good amount of physicality, lots of bizarre calls and missed calls, but looking back at a little bit on the TV some of the calls that were bemusing in the stands made sense.

Still feel his decisions favoured Ballymun significantly - yellow carding the Kickams no. 6 when it was the no. 11 who fouled (and who was on a yellow and even afterwards continued to commit obvious and cynical fouls that weren't called) and a blatant push on Frankie that lead to Ballymun's final point come to mind.

Like McStay said, it was probably the wrong decision to put a Cross man in charge of a match involving the team that just beat them, it's not like Hughes set out rig the game but the optics of any decision against Brigid's become quite unsavoury for the GAA.

It's great having won but had we lost by a point or two there would have been some very real sour grapes from a refereeing perspective, Ballymun were second best from the 10th minute onwards and I think anyone who thought it was Ballymun that threw the game away were watching a different game to me.

Really? I'm definitely not his biggest fan but I thought he refereed the game very well. For once I didn't really notice him on the field and I thought he helped the game as a spectacle. I'd say there wasn't a better match all weekend.

That said though I don't think he should have been given the final to referee considering his club were dumped out by Brigids in the semi final.

That sentiment was widespread at the match. Like I said, some of the fouls that didn't make any sense in the stand did when you saw them on tv. It doesn't absolve the fact Ballymun should have been playing with 14 men for the last 45 minutes of the game, though.

Why should they have 14 men?
You're always whingeing. If Roscommon won an all-ireland you'd still be moaning.

Trying to gloss over the easily veritable evidence offered that Hughes made a huge basic error in his refereeing of the game is borderline WUM stuff - the rest of what you said clearly is.

[moysider]

No harm to you Syferus but Hughes had a good game and if all referees had as good of games matches would be much more entertaining.

Maybe, but not many games have two teams who go about a match in such a positive way. I suspect a lot of the more cutting-edge coaches around were smirking about the naivity of it all. But anybody I was talking to that saw it, loved it.

[orangeman]

No harm to you Syferus but Hughes had a good game and if all referees had as good of games matches would be much more entertaining.

Maybe, but not many games have two teams who go about a match in such a positive way. I suspect a lot of the more cutting-edge coaches around were smirking about the naivity of it all. But anybody I was talking to that saw it, loved it.

Ballymun might not see it that way tonight in fairness.

[Redhand Santa]

Having watched Tyrone win last night with a performance that showed cynical fouling at its worst & everything that is wrong with modern day football, it was refreshing to watch that game today.

While Ballymun will be wondering how they lost, fair play to St Brigids. They took there their chances & got the win.

After watching the game in Croker last night , it was refreshing to see both teams going at it & giving it everything to win. Neither team resorted to the cynical fouls/dives/ time wasting that Tyrone did last night when the game was on a knife edge.

I'm sure it will be a great night in Brigids tonight

The club final was a great game. The bit in bold is completely over the top. There was plenty good on Saturday night which your totally ignoring. It was high scoring and there was some brilliant points taken throughout. Some good catching and blocking as well as great fitness shown by both teams. For a league game in March it was a decent game. Both teams did commit some cynical fouls but didn't think it was that bad.

[Declan]

No need for McStay to bring up Hughes and the Crossmaglen angle after the game.
FFS, you've just won an All-Ireland.

I didn't see that interview but if he said that it's a bad reflection on him and Brigid's. A great game and they were worthy winners so just enjoy it. Otherwise I'll just use it to wind up my Mayo pals late in the summer  

[Syferus]

No need for McStay to bring up Hughes and the Crossmaglen angle after the game.
FFS, you've just won an All-Ireland.

I didn't see that interview but if he said that it's a bad reflection on him and Brigid's. A great game and they were worthy winners so just enjoy it. Otherwise I'll just use it to wind up my Mayo pals late in the summer

Not really. It'd have been way worse to feign piety or ignorance to the issue of putting a Crossmaglen man in charge of a final involving a team that had just knocked out his club. As McStay said they kept quiet all through the build-up to the game, it's not like they whinged to try and put pressure on Hughes or get him changed.

Post-match press conference with McStay and Frankie, the part about Hughes begins at 5:26 : https://soundcloud.com/midlandssport/kevin-mcstay-and-frankie-dolan

Win or lose it was the truth and even if it ship wrecks any potential love-in for Hughes, so what? The point remains valid and there's nothing to be gained from ignoring it. Put yourself in his shoes and pull the 'ah, sure he shouldn't have said that' line and see how far you'd get. You'd probably be hopping mad and rightly so. I wouldn't like the same situation ever arising for any team again, let alone in an All-Ireland final, and the only way to ensure that is to highlight it now.

[Milltown Row2]

No need for McStay to bring up Hughes and the Crossmaglen angle after the game.
FFS, you've just won an All-Ireland.

I didn't see that interview but if he said that it's a bad reflection on him and Brigid's. A great game and they were worthy winners so just enjoy it. Otherwise I'll just use it to wind up my Mayo pals late in the summer

Not really. It'd have been way worse to feign piety or ignorance to the issue of putting a Crossmaglen man in charge of a final involving a team that had just knocked out his club. As McStay said they kept quiet all through the build-up to the game, it's not like they whinged to try and put pressure on Hughes or get him changed.

Post-match press conference with McStay and Frankie, the part about Hughes begins at 5:26 : https://soundcloud.com/midlandssport/kevin-mcstay-and-frankie-dolan

Win or lose it was the truth and even if it ship wrecks any potential love-in for Hughes, so what? The point remains valid and there's nothing to be gained from ignoring it. Put yourself in his shoes and pull the 'ah, sure he shouldn't have said that' line and see how far you'd get. You'd probably be hopping mad and rightly so. I wouldn't like the same situation ever arising for any team again, let alone in an All-Ireland final, and the only way to ensure that is to highlight it now.

So where do we go with this? Will Hughes ever be allowed to do Ulster club matches in the future as they might meet Cross? Will he be allowed to do Rossie games cause St Brigids beat Cross, would certainly not be able to do EC games as they have beaten Cross before. Won't be allowed to do any games in Armagh either!! What about doing Mayo games as McStay is from Mayo (I think)

Listen numb nuts, at this level of refereeing the referee will be impartial throughout the game, the match was in Croke Park FFS!! If he has ambitions of doing the big one then he was defo going to be as straight as a die. Now enjoy the win and stop talking shite!!