Ref's slowness in making a decision on red card suggested he wasn't sure - Cody

The sending off of former Hurler of the Year, Richie Hogan, in the All-Ireland senior final against Tipperary “amazed” Kilkenny manager, Brian Cody.

The long serving Kilkenny official felt the fact referee, James Owens (Wexford) took so long to make up his mind on the incident involving a tackle on Tipperary defender, Cathal Barrett, suggested the match official wasn’t sure about the issue.  

“I was amazed,” Cody insisted when asked about the flashing of the red card, which had a serious bearing on the game afterwards. 

“The only thing I will say is that first of all we are not going to make excuses. We were beaten well in the final score, but it is a huge decision to make to issue a red card.

“You would want to be very, very definite before you do a thing like that. Certainly it took the referee a long, long time to decide, to make up his mind to say I wonder that should be. 

“He consulted himself. He consulted his linesman. He consulted the player himself, he went over to look at him.

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“I would say if he knew for certain what it was going to be he would have made up his mind straight away.”

Tipperary won their 28th senior title comfortably, by 3-25 to 0-20.

For more on Kilkenny People sport read here.