Kilkenny hurling legend Richie Power believes the GAA needs to introduce technology to determine if the ball has crossed the goal line.
During Sunday's All-Ireland senior club hurling final, Kilkenny champions O'Loughlin Gaels were controversially denied a goal in the ninth minute when St Thomas' fullback Fintan Burke halted the sliotar after an Owen Wall shot.
Though it appeared the ball had crossed the line, a goal was not awarded. St Thomas' went on to win the game by a point. Hawkeye, the system which determines if a point has been scored in football and hurling, cannot adjudicate on goals.
Kilkenny hurling legend Richie Power during the filming of his episode of TG4 series Laochra Gael which airs Thursday, January 25th at 9:30pm.
"I said it to my father watching the game, with all the technology that's out there, how haven't we got goal-line technology in relation to incidents like that?" Power, an eight-time All-Ireland winner, said ahead of his episode of TG4 series Laochra Gael which airs this Thursday, January 27th at 9:30pm.
"We had it a couple of years ago with Tipperary [in the 2018 Munster Hurling Championship against Waterford] where the ball was caught on the line [and] the goal was awarded.
"Hawkeye can figure out points. How they can't come up with something in relation to goals? People will talk about the positioning of the umpires. Ok, they probably weren't in the best positions to make the call but it's human error at the end of the day."
The sending off of St Thomas' James Regan early in the second half was also contentious.
"O'Loughlins were probably lucky to have two players still on the field. Conor Heary and Jordan Molloy were probably borderline red cards," said Power.
21 January 2024; Fintan Burke of St Thomas' kisses the Tommy Moore Cup after his side's victory in the AIB GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Club Championship Final match between O'Loughlin Gaels of Kilkenny and St Thomas' of Galway at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
"I don't think James Regan made contact with Jack Nolan. It was just the manner in which the tackle went in. You can look at different decisions.
"Listening to [O'Loughlin Gaels manager] Brian Hogan after the game, he didn't make any mention towards the goal effort. Looking back, he'll be disappointed that they didn't push on after the red card and maybe close out the game.
"It's going to be a huge regret for O'Loughlins but you have to give great credit to St Thomas as well for the way they stayed going.
"As I said, it's human error. You can blame referees, umpires but at the end of the day, if you have goal-line technology there, it's a very easy decision then.
"The referee gets something on his watch or something in his ear to say it was a goal. It takes the decision out of the umpire and the referee's in live play."
15 January 2024; Uachtarán Chumann Lúthchleas Gael Larry McCarthy speaking at the launch of TG4's award-winning Laochra Gael series at the Light House Cinema in Dublin as the Gaelic sport biography series returns for another season. Photo by Tyler Miller/Sportsfile
Despite being down to 14 men for much of the second half, St Thomas' won the game in the 64th minute, the final one of injury time, thanks to an astonishing score by Eanna Burke.
"St. Thomas got an extra gear from somewhere," said Power.
"O’Loughlin’s maybe took their foot off the accelerator slightly.
"You can look at controversy. You can look at the sending-off. At the end of the day, it was two great teams going head to head and I suppose Eanna Burke pops up with a score that I don’t know who in the world could conjure it.
"I scored the winning point in the minor All-Ireland in 2003 but it certainly wasn't from the end line and it certainly wasn't from the position that Éanna Burke scored from.
21 January 2024; Éanna Burke of St Thomas' shoots to score the winning point under pressure from Tony Forristal of O'Loughlin Gaels during the AIB GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Club Championship Final match between O’Loughlin Gaels of Kilkenny and St. Thomas’ of Galway at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
"He scored a point five or six minutes before that as well and it was outrageous. He got the ball and struck it from within not even a second, and over the bar.
"These are the kind of things that turn games. He said it himself in an interview that he was completely out on his feet.
"It was a one in a million shot. If it went wide, he was hoping that the referee would blow it up. If it goes over, it's Roy of the Rovers stuff.
"O'Loughlins won a county final with Paddy Deegan getting a similar score and it's one of those things Éanna will never forget."
