NO joy for the Cork representatives in the Munster football finals over the weekend as Buttevant were well beaten by Ballymacgelligot, while Aghabullogue came closer against An Ghaeltacht but still fell seven points short.

We have highlighted the reasons for the Kerry club dominance in Munster plenty already, so we won’t drag over that old ground again other than to say the results speak for themselves. Lack of variety and competition is no good in any sport or competition, and this should be addressed quickly.

There are no such quibbles though when the best meet the best and that was the case in a sensational encounter in Semple Stadium on Sunday. Thankfully, the TG4 cameras were there to capture the action from a high quality and dramatic Munster club senior football final. We will get to the game itself shortly, but I want to start with a couple of the controversial decisions from referee Chris Maguire.

I don’t come to put the boot in – which ironically is one of our topics for discussion – as generally I think Maguire did okay in his role in a superb game. There were a couple of soft frees both ways at times when other more aggressive offences went unpunished, but Maguire was closer to the action than any of us and called the game as he saw it. Credit, too, to Jimmy Barry Murphy and Steven Sherlock for their composure in post-match interviews when the disappointment must have been crushing.

That said, we can’t gloss over a pair of his calls that have sparked much debate and discussion in the aftermath. The first came with around ten minutes to go when the reintroduced Paul Geaney caught a long delivery in behind Alan O’Connor. The latter had no chance of getting back as Geaney took aim to add to his first-half goal from another direct delivery. St Finbarr’s wing-back Ciaran Doolin came across on the cover, which no one had done in the first half when Geaney burned Sam Ryan, and in my view raised his foot to make a decisive block.

Watching on TV, I said penalty straight away as it looked like a clear foot block to me. Paul Geaney raised his foot also to indicate to the ref that he felt the same. After consultation with his umpires, Maguire signalled for a 45. The call has led to much debate, with opinion very much split on the call. The case for the referee’s defence was primarily that Doolin was too far away from Geaney to be blown for a leg block.

We can debate the merits of that argument ad nauseum, however nowhere in the rule book does it support that assertion. Rule 5.1 is pretty succinct; it is a foul ‘to block or attempt to block with the boot when an opponent is kicking the ball from the hand(s)’. It seemed pretty clear that Doolin, at the very least, raised his boot when attempting to block the shot, and where it hit after that is irrelevant as the attempt was made to block with a raised foot. There are others who are arguing that Doolin’s intent could not be proven, which I tend to disagree with but would give added support to those suggesting no penalty was the right call.

A further point for those saying it wasn’t a foul, and one I absolutely can’t find any logic to, are we now saying it’s okay to lead with your boot to make a block as long as you are deemed an unspecified distance away, say a yard or so? This could see a very different style of defending come into vogue, as defenders do their best John Terry impressions when looking to block shots on goal! This logic will increase the instances of dangerous foot-first tackles particularly around the goal area. As long as I’ve played, watched or coached the game, a deliberate foot-block when a player is kicking has been a foul – that should not and must not change. One for the authorities to clean up, I venture.

The second moment of controversy arrived in the very last plays of an outstanding game. St Finbarr’s, who faded substantially in the last quarter to allow Dingle back into the contest, secured possession on the left wing. As so often is the case when the need is greatest, the Barrs looked to Ian Maguire who gained possession under pressure from Mark O’Connor and another Dingle defender. The tackling was aggressive and would often be blown for a free in less critical moments, but the referee blew against the Barrs man for over-carrying.

The ball spilled loose and Barrs defender Dylan Quinn made his first error by picking the ball up. The Dingle players charged at him and made a display of Quinn not immediately handing over the ball. The referee agreed and brought the free forward 50 metres to within range for what proved to be the winning kick from Conor Geaney. It was another contentious call, even if strictly the referee may have been correct – Quinn did not clearly hand the ball over immediately.

What is clear though is that the punishment did not fit the crime, and that is not reactionary on my part as I have said that repeatedly since the rule was introduced. Twenty-five metres would be more than sufficient, as the referee also has cards in his pocket if any dissent goes overboard. I also think we need to get stricter on where the ‘solo and go’ frees are taken from, as very often the tap is taken well ahead of the spot of the foul.

I don’t think anyone deserves to win or lose such an important, absorbing game on such an innocuous moment. If I was from St Finbarr’s, I can’t guarantee I would be as composed as Barry-Murphy and Sherlock were.

It was a gut-wrenching way to lose a game they led and controlled for so long, but the blame can’t all go to the referee as the Barrs should have seen the game out. In the last quarter, they registered just a single point from the again outstanding Brian Hayes, while failing to convert several other presentable openings. The again excellent William Buckley, for instance, was inconsolable after his late wide preceded the late drama in injury time.

The Barrs had supremacy in this game for the majority, leading from the very early stages up until the second last kick of the game from Geaney, and that was mostly down to a performance for the ages from Steven Sherlock. His first-half display goes up there with Brian Hurley’s opening half in Páirc Uí Chaoimh against the Blues themselves just last year as the best club performances I have seen from a Cork forward since Colin Corkery was in his pomp. Hurley’s efforts preceded the two-point introduction, but having both fit and available will give some solace to John Cleary and co over the winter months.

Commiserations then to St Finbarr’s who made their club proud once more on the provincial stage, and congratulations to Dingle for grittily hanging in there for what looked an unlikely win.

It has to be said as well that the Geaneys (Paul, Dylan and Conor) all left their mark on this contest to help their side to victory. Mark O’Connor and Ian Maguire largely cancelled each other out around midfield but given how much goes through Maguire for the Cork side, that could be classed as a win for Dingle. Conor Geaney’s fine kick made sure that the victory that mattered was theirs, and now they will go forward to the semi-finals to face Ballyboden St Enda’s. Kilcoo now face Scotstown of Monaghan for the right to face Connacht champions, St Brigids.

The Munster champs will almost certainly be without Mark O’Connor for the semi-final which will make them the outsiders of the final four, but the competition remains wide open. The club football championship continues to be the best all-round competition we have in the GAA – I hope many of you will agree with me on that at least, if not everything else!

Forget those who want to shut down our pitches for this time of year, how would we get through the winter months without them?!