‘It was the right call morally’ – Why Antrim’s chairman halted semi-final replay shootout
CONTROVERSY REIGNED IN last night’s Antrim SFC semi-final replay when the county board chairman called a halt to the game during a free-kick shoot-out.
Lamh Dhearg’s clash against Portglenone finished level at 0-15 to 1-12 after extra-time, while the sides were deadlocked at 9-9 after taking 10 free-kicks apiece in the shoot-out.
As Lamh Dhearg forward Paddy Cunningham stepped up to take his side’s sixth free of sudden death, Antrim chairman Ciaran McCavana consulted both managers and made the decision to call a further replay.
Source: Jerome Quinn/YouTube
“I believe it was the right call morally,” said McCavana in a video posted on Antrim GAA Twitter’s account.
“I’m glad I’ve done it. It might not please everyone, but I have to have the moral courage to look after the players.
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“We have amateur players who are giving their all, they’re training for nine months and they don’t deserve to lose the county semi-final and the chance to play in the final that way.”
County chairman on tonight’s drawn game and sudden death penalty shoot out #NorthernSwitchgearSFC pic.twitter.com/Jq4W1p4GAW
— Antrim GAA (@AontroimGAA) September 26, 2019
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Speaking about McCavana’s decision to Jerome Quinn after the game, Cunningham said: “I heard someone in the background going, ‘Paddy wait, Paddy wait,’ and I actually thought it was one of the Portglenone players.
“Ciaran stepped in. He’s been a wonderful chairman since he’s been in and he summed it up well – it would have been difficult for any team to lose a county semi-final over free-kicks.”
Former Antrim star Cunningham kicked this stunning score during the game.
what a point! pic.twitter.com/05GencfkAn
— Antrim GAA (@AontroimGAA) September 26, 2019
Antrim GAA have also announced that the proceeds from the second replay will be split equally between three charities – deterMND, Paul McKeever’s Cancer Focus and Friends of Cancer Centre.
Reigning champions Cargin await the winners in the decider.
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