Joe Brolly says Kilkenny v Tipp 'ScoreGate' controversy doesn't matter
Oisín O'Donoghue's 69th minute strike put Tipp a goal ahead on a scoreline of 4-20 to 0-29. Moments later, Tipp star Noel McGrath saw an effort waved wide by the umpire, however, the score was given on the scoreboard.
Kilkenny pulled a point back and, believing they were trailing by three points and not two, they piled on the pressure in search of a winning goal.
They almost got one when John Donnelly's strike on goal was blocked by Robert Doyle, and when the final whistle finally blew, both teams were under the impression that the winning margin for Tipp was four points on a score of 4-21 to 0-30, when in reality, the score was actually 4-20 to 0-30.
Naturally, Kilkenny supporters have been left infuriated by the error and it has been reported that they are considering their options. The GAA have clarified that the margin of victory for Tipp was in fact two points, and have stated that they are awaiting the referee's report to see how the mistake occurred.
The mistake has left many fans and pundits wondering how on earth such an error could be made at the highest level, but Brolly doesn't believe the mistake had any relevance to the game.
"It doesn't really matter," he said on his Free State podcast with Dion Fanning as Fanning spoke about the mix-up, "There will never be a replay," mumbled Brolly moments later.
Fanning brought up the point that Kilkenny were trying to score a goal in the final few minutes of the game and raised the notion that if Kilkenny had've known that they were only two points in arrears, they would have clipped them over from range rather than trying to raise a green flag.
"Surely the answer to that point - and the there won't be a replay - and the reason why is that the umpires and referee did their job correctly.
"The ball was called wide. The scoreboard was wrong. RTE followed the scoreboard, and there was no fault on the part of the officials.
"And there's another point, although it is correct that Kilkenny for the last two minutes besieged the Tipperary goal, Tipperary at that time were also dropping back at that time and defending against a goal.
"So if Kilkenny had needed a few points, Tipperary would have played differently as well.
"Both teams played the game on the same terms in the last few minutes."
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Pic: INPHO/Ryan Byrne Saturday, July 26 An All-Ireland final means new gear. We were given new gear bags, so I'd to empty out the old one. It's funny the wave of nostalgia that comes with such a routine task. I keep every match programme and you flick through them for a few minutes before snapping back to the present. You are reading this on the day of my 34 birthday. That's a significant age in sport. All year long, it's in the back of the head that this isn't going to last forever. I'm closer to the end that I am the start. You cant shy away from that. We run through some routines tasks: drop the dog to the kennel, into town for an easily-justified scone, carb loading and all, and back home. Typically we drove to the Woodlands and get the bus from there. An All-Ireland final is different. We're going to be getting the train on Sunday, so plenty of the lads get on the bus in Killarney. I'd rather not to be on the bus all day. Just personal preference. 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Shane, Seanie, Paudie, David, Gavin. A good few of them are teachers. You look at some and think they could definitely be managers. It is not always about tactics either. It is mindset. Triggers. Energy. I used to speak more myself, especially up to 2021 when I was captain. That probably took something out of me. The group has more vocal lads now and they are better at it. After that, it is time for the pre-match meal. The atmosphere is calm. I hear Dara Moynihan across the room saying, 'Gyokeres is going to be shite anyway,' giving it to poor Tony Brosnan, who is Arsenal through and through. We meet our analyst Colin Trainor for the key metrics and then Jack speaks. This isn't tactical. There are times he just nails it. He can read the pitch of it perfectly. We bounce out of the room and onto the bus, same seats, this time game face. I have a playlist for the trip. It starts with Remember My Name by Sam Fender. Not a particularly upbeat tune, but it's about his grandparents. It has me thinking about family and where I'm from and representing Kerry and all of them. And you should think about that. We embrace that. Before we played Armagh, Michelle sent me a picture. It was Lucy in her Kerry jersey and I just kept looking at it. When we got to Croke Park, it was front and centre in my head. Then we landed in the dressing room and Colm Whelan, our trusted kitman, had printouts hanging above each of our spots in the dressing rom. I see myself and the lads, Stephen my older brother, Cathal and Sarah the youngest, the four of us in our jerseys. Family and the Kerry jersey linked. Talk about an emotional double whammy. As a group, we're incredibly grateful to Colm and all the families who sent in the pictures, it means more than we can say. MOVING MOTIVATION: Paul Murphy's spot in the Croke Park dressingroom features a photo of all of the Murphy siblings in the supporter days. Pic: Paul Murphy That's in my head on the way in. There are available routes. One is get off the M50 and come down that way, otherwise we come down Phibsborough towards Drumcondra. That's the best build-up possible. Wheeling in and around traffic, our driver Danny like a guided bullet, colour overwhelming you, it's a sea of green and gold. The roars. The fist pumps. The boos. It's just class. By the time we hit that road in front of Gills, you slow down to a crawl. People are able to touch the bus. It's unreal. It's living. Colm meets us at the door with a fist pump. That's a piseog of his now. I get in, get a rub from Harry and get out for a quick walk of the pitch. Check the wind at either end. A bit of stretching and activation before the call comes. Time to go. We are out first. Donegal come after us. I always think the second team gets the bigger cheer. Suddenly you realise there is a serious Donegal crowd here. We talk quickly about meeting the President and the parade, just to stay relaxed. Shane is on one side of me. Jason is on the other. 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Liam Hassett is with the 2000 jubilee team in the other corner. He was a selector with Eamonn and managed Rathmore. A pure football man. I thought we were going over for a handshake. Next thing, he pulls me up on the barrier and we are fist bumping the crowd. Then comes the dreaded handshake. Sports Ireland. Time to provide a sample. They are sound about it. The representative never leaves your sight but you are allowed to hydrate in the dressing room. The first tune I hear is Daft Punk, One More Time. Joe is on the speaker. Freed From Desire follows. I am in dad mode now, watching all the barefoot lunatics bouncing around and empty bottles rolling underfoot. By chance, Dylan and Jason also get picked for doping control. The entire full-back line. They take their time and get a lift home with Colm because the bus is already gone. I get changed quickly and head downstairs for a final moment. Time for true celebrations and for Gavin to collect his Man of the Match award. 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He was delighted with all the goalkeeper jerseys in the crowd, while slagging Jack about his ambitions to operate out the field. These days can be long and emotional. After Rathmore, we went on to Tralee, then to Killarney, and finally landed at the Gleneagle that evening. Tired but still on a high. The day finished with myself, Jason Foley, and Cathal Sheridan sitting around talking late into the night, mostly bonding over obscure Simpsons references until we could barely keep our eyes open. RAISING A GLASS: Kerry footballer Paul Murphy with supporters Craig Hughes, left, and Paul Moynihan during a visit to The Boars Head on Capel Street in Dublin, after winning the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship final at Croke Park on Sunday. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile Tuesday, July 29 The bus was headed for Dingle. Michelle's mom is the saint of the week, she took Lucy for the night so we could drive back and meet up with the lads. There is just a brilliant energy everywhere you go. That pure Kerry euphoria. On the way across, I spotted a crowd gathered outside Foley's in Inch. I rang Patrick to tell him about it, just to give him the heads-up to pull in and spend a few minutes with them. We marched up through the town behind a pipe band. It was pure magic. Paul was up on stage belting out An Poc Ar Buile. The backroom team were in flying form too out the back of Paul Geaneys. They were honouring some internal bet, which apparently involved a five-cigar wager. It was a sight to behold. WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT: Paul Murphy at the Kerry homecoming in Tralee Wednesday, July 30 Time to head to Kenmare, the home of one Seán O'Shea. En route we'll take in Templenoe and the Spillane's. They re-opened the bar in 2023. We came down on the Wednesday after the All-Ireland that year. It wasn't in any way enjoyable. Still a bit raw. Lads booking holidays inside there, looking to get out of Dodge. On New Year's Eve, myself, Michelle, Tadhg and Ciara were chatting with Killian Spillane's partner Megan. She said, "We went to Spillane's last year, it's great craic." So we went. It ended up being the extended Spillane family and the four of us. We've been down there in depressing circumstances, and we've been there in gas circumstances. It was nice to go back in celebrating circumstances. Adrian was out in full business mode, directing traffic and organising the crowd. Although, to be fair, his professionalism was slightly undermined by the pint of Guinness he was holding in one hand while doing it all with the other. We had Lucy with us and got the photo of her in the cup. There's no feeling like it. It is a weird thing to write, but it was almost a motivation during the season to have that for her. I bailed out of Kenmare early. Starting doing a bit of work on Thursday. As I look back now, the over-riding emotion is relief. It's a relief. This group in my head has been together since 2018 or 2019, the end of Eamonn's time and the start of Peter's. It's largely the same core, with a few new faces this year. But if we had only won one All-Ireland, I think we would have underachieved. We've come close. Two semi-finals in extra-time. A final lost by two points. I just know if I finished up and looked back having only won one, I'd carry massive regrets. It's this bunch in particular. Don't get me wrong, there are great players who never win one. It's a privilege, maybe even a bit of arrogance, to be in a position where you're aiming to win more than one. But if that group, the likes of David, Seán and the rest, had only one All-Ireland, it wouldn't sit right. It doesn't change how I see them really. I know how good they are, both as players and as people. But with this win, now everyone else will know it too.
