Kilkenny manager Brian Cody has said that he wasn’t expecting a red card during the Cats All-Ireland final loss to Tipperary on Sunday.
Kilkenny forward Richie Hogan was sent off for a high challenge on Tipperary defender Cathal Barrett just before half-time with Tipp leading by one point at the break before going on to crush the Cats in the second-half.
Former Kilkenny forward Henry Shefflin thought the dismissal was harsh, while Cork All-Ireland winner Donal Og Cusack thought it was a definite red card, but Cody admits that he was not expecting a sending off from referee James Owens who he feels wasn’t sure himself of the decision.
“I wasn’t expecting a red card,” said Cody in his post-match interview on RTE.
“I was very close to it obviously and I can’t definitively say anything, and I’m not going to be making excuses or crying about things either, but the only thing I will say is you need to be very, very certain to issue a red card.
“There was a big discussion for quite a while between the referee and linesman. He went over and he was examining people like everyone else and obviously he wasn’t too sure himself. You’d want to be very, very sure to issue a red card.”
'I wasn't expecting a red card' – Brian Cody says his team were 'outstanding' even though the scoreboard doesn't 'look pretty' pic.twitter.com/0tz9h0D8lw
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Tipperary piled on the scores in the second-half outscoring Kilkenny 2-14 to 0-9 points but Cody admired the way his side hung in there until the end of the game.
“I thought we were outstanding to be honest about it,” added Cody.
“I thought there was honesty in the team, spirit in the team, the scoreboard doesn’t look pretty for certain, I know that, but the way they kept fighting until the bitter end… the scoreboard suggests our backs were under pressure but our backs were heroic I thought myself.”
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