MATTIE KENNY AND Liam Cahill had no complaints after yesterday\u2019s Allianz Hurling League clash between Dublin and Waterford\u00a0that saw 18 cards handed out, including two reds and blacks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The thrilling draw in Parnell Park wasn\u2019t a particularly bad-tempered affair, although several scuffles did break out and Antrim whistler Colm Cunning was quick to punish those involved.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He set the tone in the first-half when he booked six players, three from either side, for altercations. In the second period Cian O\u2019Callaghan (black and a yellow) and Conor Prunty (two yellows) were sent-off late on.<\/p>\n
Neither Kenny nor Cahill felt it was the sort of game that warranted so many cards, but they stopped short of criticising the referee.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was very surprised by that,\u201d said Cahill of the card count. \u201cIt\u2019s February hurling and the league is going to be more condensed this year, more than ever with the short run into championship.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody is trying to get as much as they can out of it. Difficult day to hurl but also a difficult day to referee as well to be fair. A very difficult day to referee with the intensity that was in the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was a hard-hitting game. It mightn\u2019t have been an all-out skilful game but it was definitely very physical. There was a lot of big hits going on and a lot of well-conditioned men on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenny admitted \u201cdidn\u2019t think it was\u201d a niggly game that deserved so many cards.<\/p>\n
He continued, \u201cThere was a lot of rucks in it. You had both sides very committed. When the ball was getting stuck in the pitch like that, a lot of guys are going to get in around it. They\u2019re using their strength and weight.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were a few yellow cards handed out. There was nothing nasty in the game. It was just too very competitive sides going hard at it. Fair play to both sets of players.\u201d<\/p>\n
The black card has been introduced to hurling for the 2022 season for\u00a0the denial of a goalscoring opportunity inside the 20m line or the D with a penalty also awarded. A sin-binning could previously be applied with a yellow card, but the black card has come into play this season.<\/p>\n
A further amendment will be voted at Congress this month which proposed that fouls less than 25m infield of each sideline \u201cas a \u2018rule of thumb\u201d would not count as a goalscoring opportunity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Waterford were the beneficiaries of the ruling on two occasions, as Cian O\u2019Callaghan took down\u00a0Colin Dunford with a heavy hit as he bore down on goal.<\/p>\n
It was exactly the reason the rule was brought in, and Stephen Bennett duly dispatched the penalty. O\u2019Callaghan was sent to the sideline for ten minutes.<\/p>\n
Dublin goalkeeper Sean Brennan also spent ten minutes in the sin-bin. Again, it was deserved after he took down Jack Prendergast who would have scored had he not been denied fouled by the Sky Blues netminder.<\/p>\n
Kenny was pleased with how Dublin reacted to bing down to 14 men for over 20 minutes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot went on in that game we suffered two black cards and red cards in the finish. We had the wind in the fist half so we\u2019d have liked to build up a bigger lead than we had.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen they got the first penalty it gave them some momentum or stopped our momentum. We had to fight for that back in the first-half.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe took a four point lead into half-time. Probably not enough in these conditions but our lads showed massive character in the second-half. When things seemed to be going against them they stayed in the game, keeping coming up the field against wind and got some vital scores which got us a draw in the end. It was a fair result for both sides.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the fourth year of Kenny\u2019s reign, the Sky Blues have made an unbeaten start to the season after winning the Walsh Cup.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI felt myself in the Walsh Cup, I thought the standard and speed of hurling was higher than normal. Usually the Walsh Cup is very slow and lads are trying to find their feet.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe weather in January was really good and the quality and speed of hurling was really high. That came into the league today as well. Even though the conditions were tough it was really competitive. I thought the standard was pretty high for the conditions on the pitch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daire Gray was a late cry-off from the team after tweaking his hamstring in the warm-up, while Cian O\u2019Sullivan, Cian Boland, Mark Schutte, Shane Barrett and Liam Rushe are also out injured.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cahill said Jamie Barron and Tadhg de Burca are carrying muscle strains and are unlikely to return for Waterford\u2019s home tie against Laois next weekend.\u00a0<\/p>\n