Sunday's All-Ireland senior football final will not be replayed according to Cork manager Ephie Fitzgerald.
His team overcame Dublin by one point to secure a sixth consecutive triumph - and an 11th in the past 12 years. Nonetheless that feat has been overshadowed by the furore surrounding a disallowed Dublin point in the first half on Sunday.
Carla Rowe’s effort clearly landed between the posts and over the bar, but was adjudged to be a wide ball by the umpires, who were unable to call upon HawkEye for clarification. Or correction in this case.
The HawkEye system is not set up to cover the women’s game - and the Dublin manager, Gregory McGonigle has since called upon the powers-that-be to give his team a replay.
His Cork counterpart however is having none of it.
"We all knew HawkEye wasn't available – that's been the case all year," he told Neil Prendeville on Cork's Red FM.
“You know going out that you’re not going to have the use of HawkEye. So talking about HawkEye should be in use afterwards - to me is a bit rich.
“I was fully aware that HawkEye wasn’t going to be in use, so the fact that they should or shouldn’t use it is down to the powers that be. It is irrelevant to us.
“The dynamics of the game change anyway. If we were three points up yesterday coming down the stretch, if there were 30 seconds left when the ball came into the square for the penalty - that would have been a different scenario.
“You just can’t compare like with like. We were two scores up so it didn’t really matter what they got at that stage. If it was a three-point game, we probably would have been a little bit more focused.
“The bottom line is the scoreline says that Cork won the All-Ireland by a point and that’s all we’re concerned about.”
Fitzgerald also explained that he has already talked to the Ladies Gaelic Football Association about the issue.
“Gregory’s very quick to talk.
“They were on about HawkEye and what not, I don’t believe their penalty was a penalty and we could have had one earlier on.
“You take the game on its merits – there are two umpires and the referee has two linesmen.
“If they said the ball was wide, then you have to take…We’ve lost matches over the years, I know myself, with decisions like that.
“The fact that there’s no HawkEye there isn’t down to us, that’s down to the powers that be. There won’t be any rematch, from my knowledge, and I asked yesterday.
“I asked the LGFA and there’s absolutely not, no. The referee’s report is final and that’s that. It’s over.
“They’ve lost their third final in a row and that’s very disappointing for them but that’s outside our control, we get on with what we do. Dublin kicked 16 wides yesterday, they have to look at themselves.”
