Due to Cork and Roscommon's magnificent wins on Sunday, the epic encounter in Thurles on Saturday night was slightly forgotten. Of course, Waterford eventually overcame Kilkenny after extra time thanks to Jamie Barron and Maurice Shanahan's goals.
It was a game which had plenty of controversial decisions, but one, in particular, caught the eye of many on social media. Midway through a tight first half of action, a ball went over the sideline, between Brian Cody and Derek McGrath. The linesman judged it to be a line ball for the Deise, which didn't please Cody.
There was a heated enough shouting match between both managers, with an official having to step between them to try and restrain Cody.
What happened next led to an awful lot of discussion. The Kilkenny boss appeared to push the official backwards.
Fans immediately questioned the incident and whether Cody would be banned for 12 weeks, a la Diarmuid Connolly. When the topic came up on the Sunday Game, the panel were having none of it.
The GAA and CCC apparently agree with the panel. According to the Independent, there will be no further action taken against Cody. Referee James Owens apparently wasn't aware of the incident, as it did not appear in the referee's report at full time. This is seemingly what will save Cody from a suspension.
The decision, or lack thereof, is likely to cause uproar with Dublin fans after Connolly picked up a 12-week ban for pushing linesman Ciaran Branagan during the Dubs' routine win over Carlow. He is missing until an All Ireland semi final - if Dublin get there. A 12 week ban for
A 12 week ban for the Kilkenny boss would run out at the start of October. But with Kilkenny already eliminated from the Championship, it would be a token ban, as opposed to a necessary one.
