Cork manager John Cleary was not happy with the decisive penalty decision as his side were beaten by Kerry in their round robin Group 1 encounter.
"A very dubious penalty" is how the Cork manager described the decision as his side were on the wrong end of a 1-14 to 0-15 scoreline at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
The main talking point came in the 47th minute when Kerry were awarded a penalty, as a result of a foul by Sean Powter on Paul Geaney.
And while it occurred outside the square, the referee deemed that a goalscoring opportunity had been denied and a black card was also awarded to Powter.
The goal proved the difference in the end as Kerry took a two-point victory to secure their first win of the group stages.
Cleary said that he had rewatched the incident and is convinced that there was adequate cover in the box when the challenge was made on Geaney.
Paul Flynn thinks it was the right decision to award Kerry a penalty for a denied goal-scoring opportunity against Cork but felt a similar offence was missed in Nowlan Park #SaturdayGame #GAA pic.twitter.com/mHjObopI5y
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) June 3, 2023
"I watched it inside afterwards and it didn't seem to me that there was a full goalscoring chance," said Cleary, speaking to RTE Sport after the game.
"If that's the way, there would be penalties all over the place. There were players behind him and there was a coming together of the players.
"Look at the video, it was plain to see for everyone, Dan O'Mahony was between him and the goal. Powter went into him and it was a coming together rather than a pulling down.
"You'd take that, but a black card and a penalty was more than harsh.
"The referee gave it, and I felt we were on the wrong end of a few decisions."
Yet, Cleary was happy with his side's performance and felt that despite the decisions going against Cork, his side still had the opportunities to win the game.
"We are bitterly disappointed. We had our chances to win it but didn’t take them.
"It’s not fatal, and hopefully we learn from it and try and go again next week [against Mayo]."
Kerry manager Jack O'Connor admitted that it was "a good day" following his side's two-point win against their Munster rivals.
The reigning All-Ireland champions had to work hard to secure their first victory of the round robin series and while they enjoyed a four-point lead at the break, O'Connor's side had to battle a strong wind in the second half, which saw Cork play their way back into the game.
"Páirc Uí Chaoimh is a tough place to come to," said O'Connor, speaking to RTE Sport after the game.
"I’ve been here many times over the years and got turned over with many Kerry teams, so any time you win here by two points is a good day."
O’Connor said he was pleased with his side’s first-half performance but was wary of the conditions at the Leeside venue as Cork looked to get back on terms early in the second half.
"Happy enough (at half-time), but still wary of the fact that it was a significant wind, and within seven minutes of the second half, Cork had kicked four points and had cut the lead right back so we knew then we were in a battle, and I am happy that our fellas won the battle and got out on top."
Regarding the penalty incident, O’Connor felt that by the letter of the law, it was the correct decision.
And it was perfectly dispatched by star forward David Clifford, which helped O'Connor's side keep a gap between the sides as they held on for the victory.
The Kerry manager also admitted that the Clifford goal handed his side a bit of welcome breathing space heading into the final stages of the game.
"The rule is there, and it is not implemented very often, but one thing you can say about (referee) David Gough he is never afraid to make big calls, and in the context of the game it was a big call," said O’Connor.
"It was clear, the man was cutting in one on one, and if know the rule and you go to the letter of the law, it was, but those rules aren’t implemented very often so I suppose that is why people were a bit surprised.
"We just needed a bit of a cushion because it was a significant wind and Cork came very strong. They are a big athletic team and they’ll do a bit of damage somewhere along the line yet, no question."
Looking to the remainder of the championship, Kerry will end the round-robin stage with a game against Louth and are looking likely to progress to the knock-out stages, provided they avoid defeat against their final group opponents.
"We’ll be going all guns blazing, because as far as I can see it’s knockout football from here on so we’re hoping for the best," said O’Connor.
