Liam Cahill: 'It is a difficult day for young Darragh. We all have his back in Tipperary'
SEEING A RED card brandished towards one of your players in the opeing minute of a Munster hurling championship game for an incident before throw-in, is a distressing sight for any inter-county manager.
Tipperary boss Liam Cahill had no complaints at the decision to dismiss his young attacker Darragh McCarthy early on in their trip to Leeside, while acknowledging the incident was the biggest factor in defining the outcome of the match that followed.
A rising star in the Tipperary ranks this year, McCarthy’s dismissal for a strike on Sean O’Donoghue made for a difficult experience for the Toomevara player to endure as his team ultimately succumbed by 15 points.
'That's the problem with adrenaline' - the panel assess the incident which saw Darragh McCarthy sent off before throw-in
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“It is a difficult day for young Darragh,” said Cahill afterwards.
“He is 19 years of age. He is a lovely kid. He loves hurling and loves playing for Tipperary. He is just misfortunate today. That is Munster championship hurling.
“Johnny Murphy (referee) did a good job today, I am not questioning that in any way shape or form. But I am sure there was definitely 15 other incidents going on at the same time around the field and I’d imagine if he looked at any of them, something similar would be the case. It really did affect the game as a spectacle.
“We were coming down for a ferocious battle and suddenly, all of a shot, the wind is taken out of your sails. It was disappointing from that side of it. But look, young Darragh will be fine. He is mentally a very strong young fella.
“And he is beating himself up, as well, which is not unusual for a fella that loves his hurling so much. We all have his back in Tipperary and we’ll support and he will have really good days in the Tipperary jersey.”
Tipperary’s plan in how to approach this game was ripped up when they were hit by that early blow.
“You obviously discuss these things, when you are down to 14, and how we set up, but I suppose, it happened so soon.
“You can talk about these things until they happen, but to try and fix them is the thing. When you are hit for a goal or two and there is a lot of open spaces, and fellas are trying to adjust in the big spaces that is Páirc Uí Chaoimh, it is difficult.
“Whatever about getting hit for one goal, when you get hit for three of them in the first 35 minutes of hurling, it is quite difficult.
“Munster championship hurling can throw up anything, can’t it. Today was a difficult day from the outset, from the first 60 seconds.”
After the high of last Sunday when they pegged back Limerick to force a draw, this was a sobering afternoon for Tipperary.
They have a fortnight break now before the challenge of Clare in Ennis is presented before them.
“A lot of areas to take from it for ourselves that if we can go after over the next two weeks will help us and (we) will need to because we go to Ennis in two weeks’ time for, ultimately, knockout hurling for both sides,” said Cahill.
“We cannot give too long dwelling on today. Yes, there are lots of areas we’ll have to improve on, but we can’t stay beating ourselves up ether.
“Effort was superb from the players, really gave it everything. It was always going to be a challenge against a team of the quality of Cork with their movement, especially when you are down a player.”
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