DESSIE DOLAN STOOD his ground in the ongoing Diarmuid Connolly saga yesterday, and made no apologies for his criticism of Pat Spillane.

The Connolly controversy blew up again last weekend when Dublin boss Jim Gavin refused the traditional post-match interview with RTÉ, and blamed Spillane and Colm O’Rourke for tarnishing his player’s good name.

On The Sunday Game that evening, Dolan and Joe Brolly both suggested that Spillane had been doing Kerry’s bidding by outlining the case for a 12-week ban when Connolly put his hand on a match official.

Dolan claimed that Spillane’s comments were “a little pointed” while Brolly went one step further and said it was “like watching counsel for the prosecution.

“Pat had everything on but his Kerry blazer and his Kerry tie.”

The panellists were later criticised themselves for taking Gavin’s side over that of their fellow analyst.

But speaking at the announcement of Ericsson as the GAA’s official technology partner on Thursday, Dolan said again that Spillane’s incendiary comments appeared to be premeditated.

“It was my opinion,” he said. “Do I think my opinion has changed from Sunday night? I don’t to be honest.

I think it was fairly well rehearsed what Pat had to say. When he was quoting the rules and stuff like that, that raised my suspicions. That was all.

​”It was unusual circumstances and I suppose there were a lot of big factors. Number one, it’s Dublin; number two, it’s Jim Gavin; number three, it’s Diarmuid Connolly. It’s all divisive and to be honest, there’s an awful lot of people sitting on the fence either way.

“My opinion was what I gave. Pat’s opinion was what he gave. Throughout the country, I see lots of different people with opinions on it. My father disagrees with what I’m saying. That’s the way it has been, it’s just a very divisive thing.

“Personally, I feel that the big issue is him getting three months for what happened. I think it’s too severe.”

Dolan said he hasn’t heard from Spillane since Sunday’s comments, and doesn’t expect to as he doesn’t have his phone number.

You know the game. Media is a game. Pat Spillane has way more experience than I have at this stuff. Pat knows what goes on and he knows when you say things that you have to have your opinion and you stand by your opinion. That’s just the way it is and Pat knows that. He has his opinion on plenty of things.

He added: “I don’t know how Pat prepared for it. I’m just giving my opinion on what happened. I can’t say if he did or he didn’t for 100%. My opinion was that on the night I thought Pat was fairly well rehearsed on what he said.”

While Dolan would much prefer to see the whole saga come to an end, he can see why Gavin might want to provoke a siege mentality.

“Dublin were particularly mean to Westmeath. They were ruthless in every aspect of the game. Jim has his way of managing the thing, and I think he has a plan for what he wants to get done.

“I think he was quite lenient during the year and let the lads out doing different things. If you go through the year, there were things that players were doing that I thought, ‘Jesus that is unusual for Dublin players to be doing.’

“But all of a sudden now, he is going to keep a very tight handle on things, he is going to be very controlled and very measured, even more than we are used to, with the view that he wants to get three-in-a-row.

“For Jim, the motivation for this three-in-a-row, it is almost unheard of and he is going to do everything he can to unite the group to do that.”

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