Pat Spillane: Limerick v Clare clash shows why we need a VAR in hurling

Twenty four hours later the Munster and Leinster hurling finals were so riveting I could not take my eyes off either for one second.

It is extremely easy to criticise referee Liam Gordon for not awarding Clare a free to level the match against Limerick deep in injury time – there were really two frees.

Actually, I felt sorry for him. Due to the infiltration of football tactics into hurling it is impossible for one person to referee at the top level.

As in football, possession is now king, which has two big downsides – a massive increase in the use of the hand pass and swarm defending.

Many of the hand passes are throws and nine times out of ten the player in possession is being fouled when he is surrounded by opponents.

But if referees blew up for every foul the game would be an appalling spectacle. So, they adapt an a la carte approach and blow for maybe one foul in three.

We need VAR in hurling, or a second, or even third referee – perhaps the linesmen could fill that role.

Meanwhile, here is one simple solution to reduce the workload of referees in both codes: introduce a time clock which would be the sole responsibility of the fourth official.

By the way, if Clare felt hard done by, spare a thought for Cork’s minor footballers.

In the All-Ireland quarter-final they were one point up against Dublin in the sixth minute of injury time when their corner-forward, Denis O’Mullane, was wrestled to the ground. But the referee Niall McKenna waved play on.

He then played nearly three extra minutes of injury time and guess what, Dublin scored a late winning goal.

So it was not a good weekend for the men in black.

Meanwhile, here’s a snapshot of the crazy GAA summer schedule. There are now just five championship games left in hurling and four weekends of football action left in the 2023 season.

The four counties who win next weekend’s preliminary quarter-finals will be in action again on July 1 in the quarter-finals, which means they will have no break for three weeks.

Next Saturday there are four preliminary quarter-finals in football and two quarter-finals in hurling, with the Tailteann Cup semi-finals on Sunday.

It was understandable that last night’s Derry v Clare Sam Maguire group match was not televised given that Clare were the only side who could not advance.

Astonishingly, the only other Sam Maguire game not being televised on either RTÉ or GAAGO is today’s Kerry v Louth tie.

Given that the defending champions could exit the series today, not to mention the sub-plot between managers Jack O’Connor and Mickey Harte, this in inexplicable. I want to pen a ‘Donal Óg Cusack’ rant.

Finally, the GAA missed an opportunity to maximize the publicity value of the last round in the Sam series. The games in the four groups ought to have been staggered over the two days, with afternoon and evening throw-ins.

So to the action:

​Group 1

Kerry v Louth, Laois Hire O’Moore Park, 2.0

Cork v Mayo, TUS Gaelic Grounds, 2.0. GAAGO

Louth cannot finish top of the group and Mayo are guaranteed a place in the last 12.

Otherwise, there are a myriad permutations, but here is the nightmare scenario for Kerry: If they lose and Mayo and Cork draw, the All-Ireland champions are out.

Facing a Mickey Harte managed team who major in blanket defending has totally spooked the Kerry fans. So far this summer, Kerry have mixed the excellent, albeit against limited opposition in the form of Tipperary and Clare, the awful against Mayo and the adequate against Cork.

Louth will simply park the bus and attempt to hit Kerry on the counter-attack. I expect Kerry to win provided they are patient and find a more innovative way of breaking down a blanket defence.

The outcome in Limerick may depend on which Mayo team turns up. Devastatingly effective away to Kerry, at home they huffed, puffed, and struggled to break Louth’s blanket defence.

Their attacking play was far too lateral and slow. I cannot imagine Kevin McStay and Donie Buckley will allow the same thing to happen today.

Cork have never feared Mayo and have recovered after their disastrous loss to Clare in the Munster semi-final. They could have beaten Kerry but failed because they do not have a top-class forward unit.

They had a 58 per cent shooting efficiency against Kerry, which is not good enough. Worse still, even though they had 38 attacks, they only got 24 shots away. They are too cautious and that is the rock they will perish on today.

Predicted Finishing Order: 1 Mayo; 2 Kerry; 3 Cork 4. Louth.

Group 2

Armagh v Galway, Avant Money Páirc Seán MacDiarmada, Carrick-on-Shannon, 4.0. RTE

Tyrone v Westmeath, Kingspan Breffni, Cavan, GAAGO

Galway are assured of a place in the last 12 and Westmeath cannot finish top.

The permutations include a three-way tie at the top if both Armagh and Tyrone win, with scoring difference deciding who gets the automatic quarter-final spot.

On the other hand, if Westmeath beat Tyrone and Armagh draw with or beat Galway, then Dessie Dolan’s side go through to next Saturday’s preliminary quarter-final along with Armagh which means the 2021 All-Ireland champions Tyrone are out.

The Galway v Armagh game is a repeat of last year’s quarter-final which went to penalties. Since then Armagh have been competitive and unlucky, particularly in the league. Their four losses which resulted in their relegation were by an average of just two points.

Their competitiveness was evident in the championship. In the Ulster final against Derry they never led during normal time, but brought the tie to extra time where they did lead briefly.

Against Westmeath they did not take the lead until the 66th minute. Although they were a man down for 40 minutes against Tyrone, they outscored them 8-6.

They do not have enough scoring forwards and the loss of the suspended Rian O’Neill compounds this issue.

Even though Galway have failed to score a goal in the All-Ireland series and have injury concerns surrounding Shane Walsh and Rob Finnerty, I can’t see them losing.

Impact

They are better than last year with the bench making a significant impact and don’t forget they are the only county with a 100 per cent championship record in 2023.

On the other hand, the Tyrone v Westmeath tie is a potential banana skin for punters. While Westmeath are bottom of the group they were very unlucky in both games so far.

They were leading Armagh until they conceded a fluky goal in the 66th minute and it was only after the dismissal of Ray Connellan in the 53rd minute that Galway pulled away, outscoring them 9-1.

Tyrone are slowing improving – their victory over Armagh was their first championship win in four outings. In the first half they showed glimpses of what they do best before withdrawing into their shell and protecting their lead with an extra man in the second half.

I expect them to overcome Westmeath.

Predicted Finishing Order: 1 Galway, 2 Tyrone, 3 Armagh, 4 Westmeath

Group 3

Dublin v Sligo, Kingspan Breffni, Cavan, 3.45. GAAGO

Kildare v Roscommon, Glenisk O’Connor Park, Tullamore, 3.45. RTE

Scoring difference is likely to decide the finishing order. This is unwelcome news for Sligo and Kildare as Dublin and Roscommon – who are both assured of places in the last 12, will be looking to win and avoid a preliminary quarter-final. Kildare have a minus nine scoring difference, one better than Sligo. So the third place will probably be decided by which team gets beaten by the smaller margin.

Division 4 champions Sligo have had an amazing season, winning nine games in a row for the first time and this is their sixth championship game in 2023. Aside from the Connacht final against Galway, they have been competitive; holding Kildare to a draw and they were only four points adrift of Roscommon with eight minutes left in the match.

Their two takeaway lessons are that their conditioning falls short of what is required against the top-class sides and mistakes at this level are fatal. The three goals they conceded against Galway and Roscommon came from unforced errors.

We know Dublin are in decline, but they will still be there or thereabouts when Sam Maguire is handed out this year. Just like Kerry it is hard to get a handle on them. They have looked devastating at time but sluggish on other occasions. Dublin to win but I don’t think we will learn much from the game.

In Tullamore, the spotlight is on the managers, Glenn Ryan and Davy Burke. If Kildare fail to reach the last 12 I don’t see much of a future for their so called dream management team.

Meanwhile, the dogs in the street know that Burke should be Kildare manager by now. He is a serious operator.

As I have written many times, Kildare tick so many boxes with their physicality, athleticism and natural forwards. Yet so often they fail to realise their potential, producing a series of underwhelming performances.

Roscommon are a well-coached and organised team who are not wedded to any particular tactical style. I fancy Roscommon who are far more consistent than Kildare, but I don’t think they will score enough to pip Dublin for top spot in the group.

Predicted Finishing Order: 1 Dublin, 2 Roscommon, 3 Kildare, 4 Sligo