Padraic Joyce has no issue with Sean Hurson’s appointment as referee for the All-Ireland football final - despite the Tyrone whistler hailing from the same club as Kerry coach Paddy Tally.
Tally and Hurson - who will referee his first All-Ireland final - are both from the Galbally Pearses club.
Former Down boss, Tyrone All-Ireland winning trainer and Galway coach, Tally was drafted into the Kerry backroom team by Jack O’Connor after his appointment for a third term as Kingdom boss late last year.
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Double All-Ireland winner Joyce said: “That has been brought up with me – I got texts, texts galore about that. But I knew he was in line for the final. Sean is a top class referee. I’m not going to question anything that Sean Hurson’s going to do on the day.
“He’s going to do his job and he’s a man of integrity. Whether he’s friendly with Paddy Tally (inset) or not doesn’t matter.”
The former Ireland International Rules skipper continued: “Brendan Cawley refereed the Derry game the last day and he’s from the same town as Cian O’Neill, you could say, even though rival clubs.
“No one mentioned that. It shouldn’t be an issue. And in fairness to the GAA, if they were trying to pick referees that had no relationships with teams or selectors or whatever, they’d find it hard.”
Joyce’s Galway were refereed by Hurson in their four-goal Division 2 win over Derry earlier this year and in the Connacht final.
“I think he was a fourth official that day against Derry,” he continued. “The referee at the time, Noel Mooney, couldn’t do the game. He pulled a hamstring in the warm-up or something.
“So Sean took over. We had Sean here in the Connacht final against Roscommon, where Sean Kelly got pulled down.
“I’d a few words that day with him about it but to me I think it’s a great honour for him – a great honour for anyone to be in an All-Ireland final – so he’ll be fine.
“There’s no issue with referees for us. I always say that we can control everything as much as we can, bar the weather and the referee.
“So it shouldn’t come down to a refereeing decision in the match anyway.”
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