Gaelic Games

Jack O’Connor plays down ‘sideshow’ over appointment of Seán Hurson as final referee

‘The GAA wouldn’t appoint a man if they didn’t think he was good enough to ref the game’

Tyrone referee Seán Hurson will take charge of the All-Ireland football final between Kerry and Galway. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho
Tyrone referee Seán Hurson will take charge of the All-Ireland football final between Kerry and Galway. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho
David Byrne
Mon Jul 18 2022 - 06:00

Kerry manager Jack O’Connor has shrugged off any potential conflict of interest following the selection of Tyrone referee Seán Hurson – a fellow Galbally Pearses clubman of Kerry coach and Tyrone native Paddy Tally – for Sunday’s All-Ireland football final against Galway.

Speaking at the Kerry GAA media briefing in Killarney last Thursday, O’Connor brushed off any controversy surrounding the referee appointment for the All-Ireland senior decider.

“Well, I certainly didn’t appoint him,” smiled O’Connor.

“I know there has been a bit of talk about that but, look, it just came to my attention that Brendan Cawley refereed the Galway and Derry game, and Brendan Cawley and [Galway coach] Cian O’Neill are from the same town, Newbridge, so I can’t see any issue with that.”

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The game will be Hurson’s first All-Ireland senior football final.

The Dungannon man is no stranger to Galway and Kerry, having previously refereed the Kingdom in an All-Ireland final at minor level, the 2018 final between the sides, as well as the 2021 under-20 football final between Offaly and Roscommon, and this year’s All-Ireland club football final between Kilcoo and Kilmacud Crokes.

He also refereed this year’s Allianz National League Division Two game between Derry and Galway, and the Ulster football final between Donegal and Derry.

O’Connor added: “The GAA obviously rate Seán Hurson, and he has been talked about as a potential All-Ireland [final] referee for a couple of years now and his time has come. Anything else outside of that is a sideshow. The GAA wouldn’t appoint a man if they didn’t think he was good enough to ref the game.”

Speaking last week following Hurson’s appointment, Galway manager Pádraic Joyce also said he has “no issue” with the selection of the Tyrone referee for the All-Ireland showdown, despite his close connection with Tally.

“I got texts, texts galore about that!” he said. “But I’d known that, and I knew he was in line for the final and, look it, Seán is a top-class referee. I’m not going to question anything that Seán Hurson’s going to do on the day. He’s going to do his job and he’s a man of integrity. Whether he’s friendly with Paddy Tally or not doesn’t matter.

“I mean, Brendan Cawley refereed the game the last day and he’s from the same town as Cian O’Neill, you could say, even though rival clubs – no one mentioned that. It shouldn’t be an issue, to be honest. And in fairness to the GAA, if they were trying to pick referees that had no relationships with teams or selectors or whatever, they’d find it hard.”

O’Connor also dismissed any advantage either Kerry or Galway may have by having both Tally and O’Neill as part of each coaching team with both having been previously involved in the opposition camps.

Prized as an instrumental presence in Kevin Walsh’s backroom team at Galway, Tally departed the Tribesmen in 2018 to undertake his first intercounty management job at Down before linking up with Kerry under O’Connor this season. O’Neill previously held a coaching role with Kerry.

“Well, I think there has been a good turnover of players since Cian O’Neill left Kerry,” said O’Connor.

“Cian left at the end of 2015; there’d be a good turnover of players in seven years. A lot of the younger players wouldn’t have been there then, the David Cliffords, the Seanie O’Sheas, they were minors around that time so obviously he’d have a bit of an insight into the David Morans, the Paul Geaneys, and the Paul Murphys that were around the place and Stephen O’Brien, but I can’t see it being a huge factor. Obviously, it will be a huge incentive for him of course.

He added: “As regards Paddy Tally with Galway, I’d say there’s been a fair turnover of players in Galway since I don’t think it will be a huge factor to be honest.”