Cork manager Ben O’Connor has accused RTÉ of twisting his post-match comments following the League win over Galway last weekend.
Asked about whether the maor foirne should return, O’Connor’s answer at Pearse Stadium focused more on his fundamental unease with the direction of the game itself.
It was an answer where he claimed that “manliness” is being taken out of the game by those in power. It was an answer where he claimed hurling had gone the way of soccer. It was an answer he claimed was subsequently “twisted and turned”.
Speaking with the print media following Saturday’s seven-point win over Tipperary, the Cork manager was asked if he was satisfied with Liam Gordon’s handling of the 30-player row that broke out just before half-time.
The Galway referee, following consultation with his officials, yellow-carded Alan Connolly and Willie Connors, and sent off Shane Barrett and Jason Forde.
“I’m not blaming Liam Gordon for anything. I’m blaming the GAA officials,” O’Connor began.
“Last week, my words got twisted and turned. I was speaking to ye above in Galway and RTÉ had something on, I wasn’t even watching it, something above in Dublin on Sunday night about one of our players. My comments were twisted and turned.
“What I’m on about is, and when I say soccer, red card, yellow card, technical areas, you can’t go onto the field, can’t get a message in. So where are we getting all this from? We’re getting it from soccer. That’s where it’s all after coming from.
“A Fitzgibbon Cup match, I was watching it the other night, a University of Galway fella ran out, there was a UL fella in front of him, he went up to bat the ball. He got the ball and tapped your man on the back of the head, yellow card. Is that a yellow card? That’s what our helmets are for. How many years ago were we playing without helmets? There’s no fella giving a fella a slap down on the head for no reason with a hurley.
“I’m sure you saw the clip during the week. It’s going around on social media, Adam English against Tony Kelly (from the Clare-Limerick 2025 League clash). That’s a free. That isn’t even a yellow card. That’s a change of movement, you’ve got a tap of the hurley on the head. That’s what I’m on about.”
So as to be crystal clear and to ensure no twisting of words from this parish, a hurley making contact with an opponent’s head does not warrant a yellow card, never mind red?
“They shouldn’t be a yellow card! Some of them aren’t even a free, not to mind a yellow card. There’s no fella getting slapped down on the head.
“They’re trying to cleanse the game. And when I say cleanse the game, something like that is just something stupid, a little tap like that.
“We’d two fellas sent off outside, we’re after seeing it below on the screen. Two of them below are pulling jerseys. Two fellas that are training for the last six months, and that’s the way they’re treated.”
His view of the men in black is that they are “refereeing games by numbers now”, their decision-making influenced by not wanting to damage future prospects and their candidacy for the summer’s biggest games.
“I’m not here going fighting against the GAA or any of them, but I’m looking for the game to be played the way it should be played, and that’s just let the boys at it. If there’s a dirty belt, let them at it.
“A fella above sitting in the stand, and he telling the referee, you didn’t do that, you didn’t do that. Ticking boxes, that’s what it is, ticking boxes, and we’re refereeing games by numbers now, that’s what it is. And the referee is so worried about, ‘I won’t get a game again for the rest of the year, I have to tick the boxes’.
“The best Munster final in memory for the last few years was Clare and Limerick [in 2022]. John Keenan refereed it, wasn’t it? So John Keenan obviously didn’t do what he was supposed to do that day. Everyone said after what a great day out John Keenan had, brilliant match, brilliantly refereed, and he got no more matches after that.”
O’Connor was strident that this latest meeting of the 2025 All-Ireland finalists was in no way difficult to officiate and that referees are simply blowing too often and for issues that don’t merit referee involvement.
“Everything is being blown for. It is a man’s game. Let ’em get on with it. If there is a bit of pushing and shoving, that is all it is, get on with it. There is no fella going out hitting a fella a slap down on the head.
“We’ve harder battles at training, and I am sure every county is the same, because we don’t blow the whistle, we let them at it. We are just looking for it to be let flow. And frees taking two minutes to hit, do you know. You go home and watch the stats of the game, how long was the ball in play tonight? For 75, 76 minutes, how long was the ball in play?”
While there was no mention of Tipperary’s Darragh McCarthy, the Cork boss called for a limit to be put on the amount of time a freetaker is afforded before the sliotar must be struck.
“There should be a limit on it, yeah. Definitely. From the time the referee’s whistle is blown, there should be a limit. There are improvements that could be done to our game, not watching for a fella pulling and tearing at jerseys.”
