DUBLIN MANAGER JIM Gavin confirmed last night that they will appeal the red card shown to Eoghan O’Gara in their defeat to Donegal and again raised the issue of his players being targeted by opponents.
After the controversy of the Leinster final where Westmeath admitted to trying to provoke Diarmuid Connolly, Dublin saw their All-Ireland quarter-final success clouded by a game where both Connolly and O’Gara were dismissed in the second-half.
“A source of disappointment that for a team who play the way we want to play the game that we end up with 13 men. That’s the surprising bit that I find and it’s probably a question that you need to ask the officials on that one.
“I’m just saying to get two men sent off like that, a lot of what happened in the game was very predictable going into it.
“We all knew that would happen, that some of our players would receive special attention and that was the case and it’s up to officials to act on it and if they don’t?
“Eight of them, four umpires and the four men in black… they’re letting the players down on the pitch on both sides, by the way.”
O’Gara as it stands faces an automatic one game suspension which will rule him out of Dublin’s clash with Kerry on 28 August.
“I think so, yeah (that Dublin will appeal),” says Gavin.
“The players would know my opinions about raising your hands and if you make contact with somebody’s head you’re going to be sent off and you’ll get sympathy from me. I’ll have to look at it.”
Gavin also spoke about the wider issue of discipline in Gaelic football
“I am a big supporter of the rules that were brought into eradicate cynical play from our game. I would have always been an advocate of the sin bin but I understand the logistics of it from an administrative perspective in real time in games.
“But I think the black card has really served us well. You don’t see any cynical pulldowns and that was the main driver for it to be introduced and that’s not happening anymore.
“But there’s also the back end of the rule that there are black cards for cynical play both verbal and physical against opponents or your team-mates and for aggressive nature towards referees. That’s an area we don’t see too much of.
“Officials are doing a fantastic job. The standards have really increased and it’s great to see the co-ordination between the umpires and the linesmen. It’s certainly evolving but they need to have a closer look at that one.”
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Jim could do with taking some responsibility. All counties face the same issues. Are the Dublin players so precious that they are allowed to act up every time the opposition get in their face. The longer Jim condones Dublins reaction to it, the longer players will react and could intimately cost Dublin a game. They need rise above it and stop winging.
It’s not nice to see but annoying a player off the ball isn’t against the rules. Striking a player for doing it is. Look at the Mayo game yesterday and watch Aidan O’Shea. A man that repeatedly is hassled game after game and to my memory hasn’t acted out yet!
At the end of the day o’gara struck even if it was soft he still struck. The rule for a red card is to strike or attempt to strike an opponent. It’s black and white in the rule book. If the gaa let o’gara off then they’re making a mockery of their own rules. No matter how soft the slap was, the rule is the rule and o’gara should be done for stupidity if anything else
If they apply the rules then we would be left with about 6 players on each side ! At least it would kill the blanket defence !
Did you ever play the game , I doubt it!!!
I did and still do. If you’re stupid enough to get caught raising your hands to someone then you serve your ban
There’s more contact in your average tackle than there was from Eoghan O’Gara yesterday. Outrageous decision by the referee.
That’s true there’s more contact in your average tackle but this wasn’t a tackle. It wad off he ball and o’gara was stupid enough to get caught!!
Dublin could easily have had 3 others black carded for free conceded inside their 45. A couple of cynical pull downs.
Are you mad? You should know Dublin don’t do cynical play
Kerry don’t either just ask Billy Morgan ! Sure Tadgh Kennelly, Aidan O Mahony, Donaghy, Galvin have been Angels
When is the last time it’s been highlighted when Dublin are involved? Dublins own chairman once described it as “power play”
There you are Steven, on fire once again when it comes to the dubs
Still confident that Kerry will beat Dublin, Steven? You did a lot of talking earlier in the year. You confident your county men will back you up in three weeks?
Ryan McHugh was targeted all through the game yesterday. More than one team at it.
You’re dead right. There was a reason why Ryan came into the game more when connolly was sent off. Connolly pulled and dragged at him off the ball stopping him breaking forward.
The reason he Mchugh came into the game more when Connolly was sent off was because it was 15 v 14. Connolly was through on goal twice and attacked well all game he wasn’t on the pitch 2stop Ryan Mchugh.
O gara will appeal and he will get off sure he plays for Dublin
Hatred is a horrible thing lads
Good man DICK Healy
Dublin are playing Kerry on 28th Ryan. Not Donegal. Google probably haven’t updated the fixtures yet when you looked it up.
Diarmuid Connelly is a fantastic footballer. Probably the best in the land at the moment but he falls into that trap to often . He needs to learn that you are no good to your team sitting in the dressing room. The gooch must be targeted in every game but fair play to him, he just pops the ball over the bar to put 2 fingers up at his opponents.
Why no mention of Michael Murphy striking a player is it OK because it’s him
Because Gavin is condoning his players…Murphy should have seen the line. But the problem is the taunting and goading. If a ref spots it bring the game back give a free a yellow card in three months everybody will stop. Oh and for a better game make teams kick that thing using their foot as apposed to the sh### we are watching
Opening paragraph says Dublin lost to Donegal…. I didn’t know the result before I read it, confusing…