Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Deise left to sweat on Austin
DAN SHANAHAN insists Waterford are willing to go the distance again in a bid to clear the Gleesons for their first All-ireland senior hurling final appearance since 2008.
The Deise pulled away from 13-man Cork at Croke Park to win only their second All-ireland semifinal in 12 attempts over the past 15 years.
That led to ecstatic scenes on the pitch afterwards but a shadow was cast by Conor
Gleeson’s 69th minute red card. The midfielder appeared to strike out with a hurl in an incident that saw himself and Patrick Horgan sent off.
Earlier, in the 18th minute, Austin Gleeson was caught on camera lifting off Luke Meade’s helmet after in an off-the-ball incident that wasn’t seen by the match officials.
The current Hurler of the Year went on to score 1-2 and also provided the assist for Jamie Barron’s crucial 58th minute goal that put Waterford back in front.
Tadhg De Burca missed the semi-final after he was red-carded in the quarterfinal against Clare for a similar incident.
Now both Gleesons face the prospect of being hit with bans for the decider against Galway on September 3, with the
CCCC set to rule on the incidents at the start of this week.
“I didn’t see,” said selector Shanahan when quizzed on Conor Gleeson’s dismissal. “I’m an Arsene Wenger man here! So we’ll have to have a look at it.
“He’s distraught – absolutely distraught. We have said we’ll do what we have to do to get him back.”