Costello favours black card in hurling

December 08, 2014

Dublin County Board Secretary John Costello

Dublin chief executive John Costello has added his weight to calls for the black card rule to be extended to hurling.

His views are shared by Tyrone secretary Dominic McCaughey who believes Gaelic football's black card should be introduced to hurling to ensure the rules of the two codes are consistent with each other.

In his annual report, Costello wrote: "(Tyrone's) Seán Cavanagh was accorded pariah status by a certain pundit and his foul conflated into a symbol of the win-at-all-costs attitude afflicting modern football. Yet there was only a minor commotion - no more - over the despairing yet every-bit-as-intentional infraction in the hurling game (this year's All-Ireland semi-final between Kilkenny and Limerick when Donal O'Grady took down Richie Power).

"If the hurling player was an inter-county footballer, he would have received a black card (we presume, although that's open to question on this year's evidence); moreover, his team would have been reduced to 14 men as he was already carrying a yellow. Could anyone have reasonably argued with such an outcome?

"The above snapshot is just one example of where hurling could actually benefit from a black card deterrent - even more so if the current penalty rule isn't amended to tilt the balance back in favour of the attacking team, instead of encouraging the fouler."


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