St Finbarr’s selector Jimmy Barry-Murphy has called the free that broke his side’s hearts as ‘harsh’ after a cracking AIB Munster Club SFC final at FBD Semple Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Barrs looked to have done enough to claim provincial glory for a sixth time as they led by a point against Dingle.
Ian Magiure though was adjudged to have overcarried the ball and then substitute Dylan Quinn was penalised for seemingly trying to stop the taking of a quick free, which looked soft.
The referee brought the free up 50 yards and Conor Geaney nailed the two-pointer as Dingle won on a scoreline of 1-18 to 0-20.
“I’d rather not comment, it looked very, very harsh to me,” the Cork GAA legend said post-match.
“Ian [Maguire] didn’t hand the ball back, the ball was on the ground and we were penalised 50 yards. I have to watch it back again. I’ve plenty of experience of referees playing on in injury time when it’s not there. But look, I think there’s no point in me harping on about it now.
“We’ve got breaks this year and we didn’t get them today.”
St Finbarr’s did play very well for large parts in what was an excellent display for the majority. It just shows though how quickly a game can change under the new rules.
Dingle’s Tom O’Sullivan with Conor Geaney who celebrates after scoring from a two-point free in added time against St Finbarr’s. Picture: Dan Linehan
“Immediately after the game, it’s hard to assess but I thought today we played some brilliant football. I thought overall it was probably our best display of the year in many ways.
“The football we played was fantastic but I think that we didn’t manage the game as well as we could have when we were three or four or five points up there with ten minutes to go.
“We seemed to lose our way a small bit and we didn’t control the game as well as we should have and had opportunities to stretch the lead out.
“When you don’t do that then the other team gets a chance and one or two decisions go against you then in the end.
“But look, today is Dingle’s day. We’ll take it on the chin. We got a break in the county final, the last kick of the ball. So some days it goes your way but it’s a hard one to take but I’m pretty proud of the lads for their massive effort all year.”
Steven Sherlock ended up with an incredible tally of 0-16 including six two-pointers.
“Steven was fantastic today. You have to give credit to Dingle though. They stuck at it, hung in there and got crucial scores.
St Finbarr’s on the ground after their loss to Dingle. Picture: Dan Linehan
“In the first half we got the benefit of the two-pointers from Steven. So from that point of view, they are a huge factor in the game nowadays and they came back to bite us today, certainly.
“It has been a great year for the club. The boys have been fantastic for us. The camogie team have an All-Ireland final next Sunday in Croke Park. That will be a huge occasion for our club.
“From our side, Brian Roche did an incredible job of managing this team and coaching this team. The effort he put in was beyond belief and I couldn’t pay enough credit to him for that and tribute to what he has done for this club over the last couple of years.”