Tipperary manager Liam Cahill and Kilkenny boss Derek Lyng were both measured in their post-match reaction to the officiating in a Allianz Hurling League Division 1A encounter that ended with just 26 players on the field at UPMC Nowlan Park in a 2-25 to 1-19 win for the visitors.
The four dismissals took place between the 43rd and 53rd minutes, with the Premier County's Alan Tynan the first to receive his marching orders.
Kilkenny's numerical advantage was all too brief, with David Blanchfield, Mikey Carey and Jordan Molloy soon following Tynan to the sideline.
The first three red cards were shown for contact to the head. In a sport where the major decisions of the arbitrator rarely go unchallenged, referee Seán Stack came in for little in the way of managerial ire after the full-time whistle.
"The officials are under a lot of pressure," Lyng conceded in conversation with RTÉ Sport. "They're trying to get a lot right. I understand that and I know there was a lot of attention after last weekend.
"I just think sometimes the malicious intent is not there at all. Common sense has to be used as well.
"That's not getting at the officials. Like I said, they're trying to do a very difficult job. I know as managers we sometimes don't make it easy from the sideline.
"But it's a fast game and these things can happen. Sometimes a red is deserved, sometimes it's not.
"It's easy for me to say from the sideline but I didn't think there was a huge amount in them."
Jackie Tyrrell and Liam Sheedy assess the four red cards shown in Tipperary's victory over Kilkenny today 📺 Watch Allianz League Sunday on @RTE2 and @RTEPlayer now #AllianzLeagues #GAA pic.twitter.com/Rs6mHIGVPY
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Lyng was more focused on Kilkenny taking ownership of an underwhelming display and added: "We're disappointed with the first half, particularly.
"There's a lot of frustration with how the second half went.
"We didn't get to the standards we set for ourselves in the first half. It's nothing got to do with effort and things like that.
"I just think we were caught in two minds a lot with the ball, a little bit nervy for some reason.
"I thought in the second half, we got to the pitch of it. I thought we were attacking them much better.
"Obviously, then we've an extra man and all of sudden then, we've three men off. Look, it's 10 minutes of chaos.
"But I will say they showed huge character, they kept chasing the game, kept fighting.
"But for a finish, you could have no complaints, Tipp picked off a few scores near the end, we tired. The lads ran themselves into the ground.
"Overall, frustrating. But we have to get on with it now and get ready for next weekend."
Lyng's opposite number knows how hard wins are to come by at the venue and this was another step in a promising journey for Tipperary.
"It was a pleasing afternoon's work, Cahill admitted. "We tried one or two options today, while also trying to keep our constituency with the spine of our team.
"It worked out reasonably well again today.
"Anytime you can come to Nowlan Park and get out with a win it's a good day's work."
Cahill opined that the red cards were disruptive for both sides, even if his own didn't suffer to nearly the same extent.
"I thought we got a little bit sloppy when Kilkenny went down to 12 men," he said. "When there's a sending off, there's always the risk of it being balanced out.
"But there is big pressure on our referees in the modern game. It's not an easy job
"I didn't see the Alan Tynan incident from where I was standing clearly, but from what I'm hearing after the game, maybe there wasn't a lot in it that warranted a red card.
"Having said that, the rule is there that if anything is in the vicinity of being head-high, if there's contact made, then a decision has to be made. We'll review it and see what our take is on it after today."
