WATERFORD ‘KEEPING OPTIONS OPEN’ AS THEY PREPARE FOR DE BÚRCA SANCTION

WATERFORD will have to provide more conclusive video evidence if Tadhg De Búrca is to play in an All-Ireland hurling semi-final against Cork in just under three weeks’ time.

De Búrca was sent off near the end of Sunday’s quarter-final win over Wexford and will be given a one-match ban in accordance with rule 7.2 Cat 111 (iv) which covers behaviour “in any way which is dangerous to an opponent, including deliberately pulling on or taking hold of a faceguard or any part of an opponent’s helmet (in hurling)”.

The focus of any challenge by the player to a hearings committee will be on the deliberate nature of the act.

If De Búrca can satisfactorily prove that his act was not deliberate and was an instinctive reaction to Harry Kehoe running across him along the sideline there is a prospect of the red card being rescinded.

But footage so far is inconclusive and with linesman John Keenan in close proximity to the incident, which he saw and communicated to referee Fergal Horgan, De Búrca faces an uphill task to overturn it.

Waterford have yet to make public their intentions but it is expected that they will challenge.

Stephen Bennett did not contest a similar charge for an incident in the Munster semi-final against Cork and missed the first qualifier game against Offaly.

Speaking to local radio station WLR last night, selector Eoin Murphy said that Waterford are “keeping their options open”.

He recalled: “It came as a bit of a shock. The ball was gone elsewhere, the next thing the ref stopped the game and before we knew it, Tadhg was red-carded and coming off.

“It was a blow for Tadhg and the team. I just saw it for the first time on ‘The Sunday Game’ and it looked innocuous enough, to be honest.

“The linesman was close to it and he made the call on it.

“In fairness to Tadhg, we all know there’s not a dirty stroke in him, he’s a pure out-and-out hurler.

“I think he was just trying to shake him (Kehoe) off, whatever little bit of a tangle they were in. There was no malice in it whatsoever from what I could see.

“We’re keeping our options open at the moment. At this moment in time, we have to plan without Tadhg because he got a red card, which means a one-match suspension.

“But we’re looking at all options. Once the sanction comes in, we’ll review it and see what our next steps are.”