'Disgraceful,' social media hits out at referee over this moment in Tipperary v Waterford

"Disgraceful," social media has hit out at Wexford referee James Owens over this moment (see screenshot above and video below) in the Tipperary versus Waterford drawn game on Saturday evening. 

A heart-stopping finish greeted a partisan Tipperary support that ventured down to Walsh Park, after an incredible scoring spurt of 1-1 from the Premier County players rescued a draw after another high-octane Munster Hurling Championship match against Waterford.

However, one moment has drawn criticism on social media and that is when just before the Waterford penalty was struck, the referee James Owens appears to run across Tipperary goalkeeper Barry Hogan's line of sight.

The consensus all week was that a good start was paramount for Tipperary here to get the confidence going, but it couldn't have been further from that as Waterford raced into a 1-1 to nil lead within five minutes; Stephen Bennett raised the green flag from a penalty after Mikey Kiely was downed by Craig Morgan in the square.

However, the subsequent penalty was not without its controversy. 

One person on social media said: "That penalty should have been retaken the ref totally was in Barry Hogan's eye line as the ref ran across as he blew the whistle. Shocking."

Check out the video below to see for yourself:

What the hell is Ref James Owens at,

just before the Waterford Penalty is struck

Running across Barry Hogans line of sight ?#tipperaryhurling pic.twitter.com/MuExr5kqFc

— The Premier 'View' (@PremierviewPod) May 4, 2024