GAA apologises over scoreboard mix-up during recent Tipperary vs Kilkenny semi-final
Tipperary defeated Kilkenny in dramatic circumstances earlier this month
The GAA has issued an apology to Kilkenny following a scoreboard error that occurred late in their All-Ireland semi-final clash with Tipperary earlier this month.
Key figures in Kilkenny have received a letter from Croke Park acknowledging the mistake and expressing regret for how it affected the closing minutes of a tightly contested match, which Tipperary edged by two points.
Confusion arose after a shot from Noel McGrath in the 70th minute was initially signalled wide by the umpires but mistakenly added as a point on the stadium scoreboard. At that stage, both teams believed Tipperary held a four-point lead.
In reality, Tipp were only two points ahead. After Jordan Molloy pointed for Kilkenny in injury time, the Cats went chasing a goal they thought was needed to send the game to extra-time, unaware that a point would have brought it level.
While Kilkenny did contact the GAA for clarification on the incident, there was never any suggestion of seeking a replay. County officials have stayed silent publicly on the matter, a stance that earned respect from Tipperary manager Liam Cahill.
“Like ourselves, if Kilkenny don’t win it on the field, they ain’t going to bring it to the boardroom, that’s for sure,” Cahill remarked.
On the night of the match, the GAA released a statement confirming the official result as 4-20 to 0-30 in Tipperary’s favour.
“The GAA acknowledges there was confusion over the final score,” the statement read. “The CCCC (Central Competitions Control Committee) is awaiting the full referee’s report in order to establish how the initial mistake occurred."
Last week, Donal Smyth, the association’s national match officials manager, shed more light on the incident, attributing it to a number of overlapping factors.
"It was a mixture of stuff. The time of the game probably didn't help. So at 69 minutes we had a Kilkenny sub, at 70 minutes the ball went wide, we had a Tipperary sub at the same time.
"We didn't notice the scoreboard had changed in relation to that (McGrath's wide). Then the difficulty is we didn't get a break in play to stop the game to check the thing.
"We've changed our processes last week and our protocols around that, so it's something we just have to work on."
In the wake of the controversy, former GAA president and Kilkenny native Nickey Brennan commented that both counties were due an apology for the confusion.
Meanwhile, Kilkenny legend Henry Shefflin described the lack of clarity around the situation as “baffling” during his appearance on The Sunday Game.
He added: "There hasn’t been much noise about it and it seems it’s just moved on.”