GAA: Jamesie O'Connor says Tadhg de Burca shouldn't miss All-Ireland semi-finals

First things first - I would be very upset if Tadhg de Burca missed an All-Ireland semi-final because of his red card offence against Wexford on Sunday.

The game was 66 minutes old when De Burca's run down the field was impeded.

Waterford were home and hosed but, as his run was blocked, De Burca reacted by raising his hands to try and fend off his opponent. He made contact with Harry Kehoe's helmet and play went on.

Then a linesman called referee, Fergal Horgan, back and alerted him to the incident. The two consulted and it resulted in the Waterford sweeper seeing red.

Tadhg is possibly Waterford's most influential player, a rock at the heart of their defence, and he has an impeccable disciplinary record up to now.

But what should count is that I don't think he intentionally meant to grab Kehoe's faceguard. I don't think there was a determined, aggressive effort to make contact.

We have certainly seen worse cases in similar incidents go relatively unpunished so far in this year's championship.

The footage of the clash that I saw is in no way conclusive - that's another variable to be considered.

Plus the referee is going on a call by one of his linesmen. Fair enough, consultation is necessary for match officials but for a player to miss the biggest game of his career on the basis of an offence that I don't feel is cut and dried, well that's just a huge call. That's my thinking on the matter and plenty will disagree but our games are all about debate.

Speaking of which, this weekend proved that once again with the criticism of the structured, defensive-orientated programmes that both Waterford and Wexford deploy.

Personally, I feel that Wexford have no choice but to go with the system they use as they would be well beaten if they went 15 on 15 against teams. It seems to suit Waterford too and they veered away from that mechanism against Cork and it cost them.

The traditionalists will continue baulk but they largely come from counties that, historically, have won quite a lot.

In truth, neither quarter-final really caught fire. Clare will need to put the entire season under a microscope and dissect it. And they will. Their co-manager, Donal Maloney, said after the game that he learned more in eight months than he did over years with those guys at underage.

They racked up 16 wides and fell into their old habits displayed in the Munster final.

Those wides sucked the life out of the team in many ways.

Still, I don't think we are too far away all the same. The two managers will go away and study what is needed - who is needed - and they will come back in 2018 rejuvenated and with more of an idea of what is required after an intense first year in the job. Coaching is all about education and the two boys, Gerry and Donal, are certainly getting that.

As for Tipp? Well, the thing is Clare could have beaten them. Tipp were actually wide open at the back and unless they sort out their deficiencies in defence they won't beat Galway.

There won't be much time to get their house in order for August 6 and they need to retreat their midfield and half backs to fill in the gaps in front of the full back line or else they will be taken down by Galway who have the physicality, pace, and forwards to run through them.

The plus points?

The two McGraths. Sheer class - 10 points between them and seven assists. Bubbles and Callanan are coming into it too. They can outscore anyone but to beat Galway they will have to come near the 30 point mark again - and shut down at the far end. They have plenty of work ahead and little time to achieve what they want.

Waterford march on to meet Cork on August 13th. I would actually say that, Tipp aside, all the other three counties are happy with the draw they have got.

Galway wouldn't have wanted Tipp in a final because six weeks could sort out any defence but now Tipp only have two weeks.

Waterford will want another crack at Cork. And Cork would rather have had Waterford than Galway!

I think Waterford had it at their ease in many ways against Wexford. They certainly made scoring seem easier and curtailed any goal threat from the opposition until the final minutes.

Darragh Fives can fill in that sweeper role if de Burca is not available and they have time to adapt as well. Their bench is playing a massive role all season long and that's a massive development for them.

I think it will be a great game against Cork and playing in Croke Park will suit both sides.

We will have two huge crowds at both semi-finals, it's been a fairly cracking championship so far and absolutely mad to think now that only three games remain. The summer has flown by - maybe it's because of all the talking points we have had and the resurgence of both Cork and Wexford.

There is a great chance to win an All-Ireland now and all four teams will feel it's theirs if they perform.

What more could we ask for?