Referees not bitter over final

TOP hurling ref James Owens says there’s no bad blood between him and James Mcgrath after the latter’s All-ireland final strop.

Mcgrath (above, right) quit county refereeing after being overlooked for this year’s showpiece as Owens (left) got the nod, claiming it was a “decision that has been made for me”.

It was felt his outburst ahead of the final put undue pressure on Owens going into the game, though the Wexford whistler denied that.

He said: “It took the heat off me definitely, that’s the one thing that happened. I’ve had a conversation with James, before the All-ireland, there’s no animosity there. Me and James go

back a long way, we have been friends. He made a decision, whatever it was, on the spur of the moment.

“If he wants to come back to the panel in 2019, you know, we’d love to see him back.” Owens said that Mcgrath’s comments didn’t sour his achievement in being appointed to the biggest game of the year.

“Ah, no, no, it’s an honour to referee and All-ireland final, there’s nothing going to taint that,” he said.

Owens was the first referee to take charge of a semi-final and final in the same season since Seamus Roche in 2005, though he said he wasn’t surprised.

“My objective going out that day [semi] was I was going to put in a performance that was going to put serious pressure on the committee in charge to change that trend.”