The GAA's via dolorosa continued yesterday with another major controversy blighting a championship match. Only a fortnight after the sending-off of six players in the Carlow-Westmeath match caused a furore in Leinster, Munster champions Kerry were set on the road to victory over Tipperary by the award of a goal which television pictures showed had clearly gone wide.

Inevitably the air in Stack Park, Tralee, was thick with talk that Tipperary would be lodging an objection. All that football board chairman Michael Frawley would say about the county's plans was: "We will be convening a meeting of the county board".

It was in the eighth minute that the controversy arose. Kerry's right corner forward Gerry Murphy came onto a breaking ball and his kick was seen coming back off the metal stanchions on the sidenetting. The player took the rebound and slotted it into the net to give Kerry a 1-1 to 0-1 lead.

Tipperary's protests continued during the half-time break and Munster chairman Sean Kelly confirmed after the match that he had approached the referee at the interval.

"I can't judge the incident," he said, "because I haven't seen the television pictures but an official approach was made to me by Tipperary at half-time protesting about the goal. I made known the Tipperary viewpoint to the referee and umpires but they stood by their decision."

Asked about any action the Munster Council might take, Kelly said: "We will have to wait until we receive the referee's report."

Tipperary selector Colm O'Flaherty was in angry humour outside his team's dressingroom. "It's a total disgrace. The same thing always happens to weaker counties. Referees go overboard on the side of Cork and Kerry. The ball hit the back stanchion. We kept Kerry scoreless for 27 minutes in the second half but this sort of thing always happens."

Asked had the team considered not taking the field for the second half - at the beginning of which they were late leaving their dressingroom - O'Flaherty denied the suggestion. "The chairman of the football board made representations to the referee. But that was never on the cards."

Yet according to full back Niall Kelly, Tipperary "thought about not going out". He added: "At half-time, I thought the goal would have an impact but we said Kerry aren't fantastic and thought we could have a go at it."

Manager Colm Browne believed a re-fixture would remedy the injustice. "We are only looking for fair play. The goal did make a material difference. Right is right. I'd absolutely back the idea of a replay and obviously we're going to support any appeal by the county board."

Referee Michael Collins is not allowed comment on any decisions. He obviously wasn't as well positioned as his umpires one of whom had to get out of the way of Murphy's first shot as it cannoned off the side of the net.

Kerry's reaction to the match was one of relief at the result. The team and officials appeared only dimly aware of the controversy raging in the other dressingroom.

"We're only looking at our performance now," said county secretary Tony O'Keeffe. "We heard something about the goal but all we can do is put our own team out on the field and that's what we concentrated on at half-time."

Manager Paidi O Se said the team had been ready for a fight in the second half. "We knew everything had gone so well in the first half that there would be pressure to come. So many things had gone against Tipperary. They played two forwards on the inside but our full back line were ready for it. Now we're looking forward to the Clare match."