What a game of hurling.
Kilkenny have booked a place in the Leinster final, but they were forced to earn their victory the hard way during a thrilling meeting with Wexford.
Brian Cody's side would eventually run out 2-37 to 2-29 winners after extra time, putting some distance between the two sides in the second period.
However, the result could have been very different.
Wexford scored a last gasp point in regulation time in order to force the afters, but it could have just as easily been a goal.
Liam Ryan's long-range effort looked to have been stopped by Kilkenny's Eoin Murphy, with Conor McDonald then dispossessing the goalkeeper by flicking the ball into an empty net.
Had the goal stood Wexford would have won the game. Instead, the referee consulted Hawk-Eye where it was revealed the ball had actually went over the cross bar before Murphy's intervention.
Liam Ryan with a huge point for @OfficialWexGAA v @KilkennyCLG to send the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship Semi-Final into extra-time #GAANOW pic.twitter.com/Tqm2BwCjhC
— The GAA (@officialgaa) July 3, 2021
The referee also would have heard through his ear piece at the time that a point should be awarded.
This incident has caused some confusion, with many believing that Hawk-Eye does not measure if the ball actually goes beyond the crossbar.
So should it have been used in this case?
We have been here before, with Lee Chin's point against Tipperary awarded after it was initially missed by the referee back in 2019. John McGrath had a goal chalked off at the other end as a result.
Huge swing as Tipperary have a goal cancelled out to bring play back for Hawk Eye to award a point to Wexford. #rtegaa pic.twitter.com/mJL7Be7vDH
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 28, 2019
On that occasion, many questioned if Hawk-Eye made the correct call.
As it turns out, the developers of the technology are certain that it did.
In a statement given to RTÉ at the time, it was confirmed that the technology can indeed distinguish when exactly the ball has gone over the bar.
We can confirm that the Hawk-Eye system installed at Croke Park can determine if the ball crosses the line.
The system only gives a point when the ball has crossed the plane of the goal and in between the goalposts.
This point in the trajectory of the flight is signified by the trajectory changing from red to white. This, therefore, does not occur when the ball is wide of the posts.
The same would have applied this evening, meaning the referee made the right call by checking the score on Hawk-Eye.
That will come as little consolation to Wexford, who are now facing into a tricky run in the qualifiers.
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