There were some unsavoury scenes in the aftermath of the Leinster GAA club clash between Tullamore and Summerhill this afternoon, with the referee being attacked on the pitch soon after making a last gasp decision that had a major impact on deciding the outcome of the match.
Meath champions Summerhill would run out as 1-9 to 1-7 winners over their Offaly counterparts at O'Connor Park, with the fixture coming right down to the wire.
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GAA: Referee attacked after controversial ending to Tullamore-Summerhill game
With Tullamore chasing a goal to win the game late on, they thought they had been given a penalty after an infringement from a Summerhill player inside their own penalty area.
It came after the player attempted to run the ball out from his own end line, only to then fall over and handle the ball on the ground. Referee Barry Tiernan initially awarded a free in to Tullamore, but after consulting with his umpires, it was then changed to a penalty.
However, another twist was yet to come. The linesman would then intervene to convince the referee to return to his original decision of a free.
The confusion seemed to come from whether the Summerhill GAA player had handled the ball in the ground inside the six-yard box, in which case a penalty would be given. A quick look at the footage below would suggest that the officials eventually reached the right conclusion in instead giving a free.
The decision at the end of the Summerhill V Tullamore match where the ref first gives a free, after discussing with Umpires it’s changed to a penalty, then the linesman gets involved & changed back to a free.
The right call imo, as the foul on the ball was outside the 6 yrd box pic.twitter.com/nlReZUo1tL— The GAA Room (@TheGAARoom) October 22, 2023
Despite the decision being a correct one, it led to some flared tempers after the final whistle.
The referee would have to be escorted off the pitch, with one Tullamore fan seemingly shoving the official to the ground as he was making his way off the playing surface.
No matter what happens, this is unacceptable from a Tullamore fan… pic.twitter.com/8WCGQi8DZp
— The GAA Room (@TheGAARoom) October 22, 2023
Referee Barry Tiernan has been assaulted leaving the field.... he was also confronted several times after getting back to his feet... disgraceful scenes at the end
— MeathChronicleSport (@MeathSports) October 22, 2023
Actions such as that certainly have no place in the GAA.
While Tullamore may have disagreed with the decision, you never want to see scenes such as that after any sporting event.
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