Williams slams decision to play minor hurling final

Joey Williams, manager of the Lough Lene Gaels senior hurling team, criticised the decision to play the minor hurling final at TEG Cusack Park on Sunday, which he felt contributed to a poor playing surface for the senior decider.

Referee Barry Kelly abandoned the senior final after 13 minutes and Williams was clearly unhappy as his side were in control at that stage, leading by two points to no score. Heavy rain, a challenging surface and fading light were all factors, and amid increasing safety concerns, the match was terminated.

Williams felt the hectic weekend schedule, which included intermediate and senior ‘B’ hurling finals on Saturday and the minor decider on Sunday, was too much for one pitch.

When asked if he believed it was the right decision to call off the game, Williams responded: “I don’t know, it’s hard to know to be honest. We were kind of going well in the game, and it’s the referee’s decision at the end of the day. But to be honest, we all saw the weather during the week and knew what was coming, so it’s very disappointing that it was left to happen on the day. A lot of people put a lot of time and effort into this, and to be called off 12 minutes into a game is very disappointing.”

Williams raised questions about the scheduling, particularly regarding a minor match played earlier that day. It was noted that there were a lot of rucks, with players slipping and sliding.

“The powers that be played a minor match before it. I’d ask questions there. In this day and age, we know exactly what’s happening, and I don’t know, it’s their choice. They’re calling the shots, so we just have to go and do… we’re playing by their rules,” he remarked.

When asked if he thought the minor match should have been changed, Williams replied, “Well, not called off – they could have moved it somewhere, like to a different pitch. They played two games here yesterday on the same pitch, so any pitch in Ireland wouldn’t withstand four matches in two days with the weather that’s out there.”

Despite the disappointment, Williams expressed confidence in his team’s ability to regroup. “It’s very disappointing. We were going well, we were in control of the game, and it was a battle. We were prepared for a battle, and we’ll just reset and go again,” he said.

Getting the players pitched up again and getting their attitude right again is certain to present its own challenges.

However, Williams noted his team’s resilience. “To be honest, we’ve no problem getting the attitude right with our bunch of lads. We’ll go, we’ll play it. As I said the day before, we waited 22 years to get a championship, and another week isn’t going to make a difference.

Mangan – you have to back the referee

Alan Mangan, manager of the Castletown Geoghegan hurling team, also felt the decision to play a minor final after Saturday’s programme of games was asking too much. One of his players will now have to make a tough decision regarding travel to Australia midweek and it’s most likely the black and ambers will have to plan without him.

When asked if he thought it was the right decision to call off the game, Mangan admitted uncertainty. “I don’t know. Maybe they could have given another five or six minutes to see how things go,” he said. “But sure, listen, Barry’s (referee) doing it for the safety of the players, and you can only take his word. He’s the one out running around the middle of the field, watching everyone going into these rucks. He said there were seven rucks in the first 11 minutes, so he figured it was just going to be lads rucking around in dirt and muck, and it was only going to get worse,” he remarked.

Mangan expressed support for referee Barry Kelly’s decision, noting, “He made the decision; you have to back the referee. He’s the one that’s out in the middle of it.”

Reflecting on the conditions earlier in the day, Mangan felt alternative plans could have been put in place for the minor match.

“To be honest, if you’re looking at the minor game, it probably shouldn’t have been played and let the senior game only be played. But sure, listen, hindsight’s a wonderful thing. At 10 o’clock this morning out in Castletown Geoghegan, it wasn’t raining. So what do you do? The county board can’t make these decisions; they don’t know what the weather’s going to do.”

He acknowledged the impact on team preparation. “Well, we’ve one lad heading to Australia on Wednesday, so it’s going to affect him anyway,” Mangan noted. “So we’ll have to see what we do going down the line.”

The game’s start time also came under scrutiny. “Maybe it was an oversight that they forgot the clocks were going back or whatever,” he said, referring to the fading light. “But sure, listen, it is what it is. It’s going to be the same for them as it is for us.”

Looking ahead, Mangan accepted the situation with resilience. “At the end of the day, we’re coming back for a replay. Or it’s not even a replay; it’s just called the county final again. So what can you do? You just get on with it.”

Chairman feels for players involved

Frank Mescall, chairman of the Westmeath GAA County Committee, expressed his sympathies and support for all those affected.

“On behalf of the Westmeath County Board, our hearts go out to the players from both teams. It’s totally upsetting for them, having been all geared up for this and preparing intensely over the last two weeks,” Mescall said.

“However, I believe the best decision was made today in the interest of the players and their future wellbeing. The referee made the call, and we fully back him. He made the right choice, and we support our referees 100 per cent.”

Looking ahead, Mescall confirmed that the replay will take place next Saturday at Cusack Park, with throw-in scheduled for 2pm. “We’ll be making arrangements to allow patrons in free of charge. They deserve fair play as well,” he added. “This is not about money; our primary concern today was the players.”

Mescall concluded with an apology to the players, saying, “It’s unfortunate, but we don’t control the skies.”

It’s the second time in history that a Westmeath senior hurling final was abandoned – in 1948 Collinstown versus Brownstown was terminated and eventually won by Brownstown at the fourth attempt.