DE BÚRCA WAS HARSHLY TREATED — MORAN
WATERFORD hurling captain Kevin Moran reckons referees should be able to use their discretion when it comes to the rule on tampering with faceguards. Déise team-mate Tadhg de Búrca was shown a red card for a tangle with Wexford’s Harry Kehoe in Sunday’s AllIreland quarter-final tie at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Kehoe’s faceguard came loose during the flashpoint and the letter of the law stated that former All-Star defender de Búrca had to go. He’s currently ruled out of Waterford’s AllIreland semi-final clash with Cork and Moran described it as a particularly harsh outcome. Asked if he’d like referees to be able to use their discretion on the rule, Moran nodded. ‘Absolutely, yeah,’ said the De La Salle man. ‘I think there are more dangerous things happening in a game than something like that. ‘If someone is pulling the helmet and pulling someone to the ground, that’s extremely dangerous. ‘But a flick off the faceguard, or if it catches your hand and it opens up, it’s not as though someone’s head has been taken off. ‘It might look worse but it’s just the visor opening, and that’s what happened,’ added Moran. ‘There were incidents a few years ago when it was nearly embarrassing at stages, guys were getting sent off for just a touch and I suppose it became a little bit more lenient over the last season or two, and rightly so. ‘Obviously if there’s a serious intentional interference it can cause damage,’ said Moran. ‘But, look, it’s a physical sport, it’s very tough on him especially but I don’t want to go into that too much.’ Moran said it’s his belief that de Búrca has been very harshly treated. ‘Very much so, yeah,’ he said. ‘It’s hard for Tadhg. ‘Obviously we haven’t got back training yet so we don’t really know the ins and outs of it. ‘But Derek McGrath and the guys from management, they’ll take the reins on this one and they will do everything they can,’ added the Waterford skipper. ‘There’s nothing we can do now as players, we’ll leave it in their hands.’