The contrast in how the GAA has dealt with disciplinary issues regarding Ger Brennan and Jim McGuinness continues to rankle in Dublin.
The Dublin manager was hit with a 12-game suspension in March after his red card for physical interference with a member of the Galway backroom team in their final league outing at the end of March.
In his absence, Dean Rock has presided over a jittery win over Wicklow before a Leinster final defeat to Westmeath was followed by Sunday's Croke Park loss at the hands of Louth.
In contrast, as tempers flared between Kerry and Donegal in Killarney last weekend, the Donegal manager McGuinness escaped any further sanction after making contact with Kerry’s Diarmuid O’Connor.
The Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) ruled that all incidents - including McGuinness' - were dealt with on the pitch by the referee Seán Hurson, though McGuinness was in spiky form in his media dealings after the game when asked if he feared a ban could be imminent given Brennan’s suspension.
Dublin are now in the last chance saloon in Tuesday’s 2B draw, with Brennan back in the dugout should the men from the capital be drawn for a Sunday slot (14 June), with his ban running out at midnight on Saturday 13 June.
Dublin skipped their media duties in the aftermath of defeat to Louth, and former player Paul Flynn says that while he doesn’t believes that is linked to frustration over the disciplinary process, he believes there is injustice at play.
"My understanding is that it is not linked to that (McGuiness’ escaping of a sanction), but either way, I think there is a sense in Dublin that there is a bit of injustice in the way that Ger has been treated," he said on The Sunday Game.
"You see how it has played out with Jim McGuinness and getting off with something similar.
"From my perspective, the rule is black and white. It just strikes everybody who sees it that it was black and white what happened and that the GAA should be looking at it and Jim McGuinness should have the same fate as Ger Brennan.
"That’s the fairness across the board that people are looking for.
"Even Jim’s response, in how he treated the journalist who asked him the questions (after win over Kerry)… he was a pundit. I looked back at some of his articles this week and he was having a view on Diarmuid Connolly in a similar situation, flying that kite as he said.
The #SundayGame panel of Paul Flynn and Donie Smith discuss Dublin's decision not to talk to the media following their loss to Louth #RTEGAA
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) May 31, 2026
Watch: https://t.co/ZfZ9mA9XTY pic.twitter.com/Ce1pxql94f
"It’s frustrating the way it has played out. On one hand one person gets away scot-free, and the other, Ger Brennan, has a ban and Dublin are facing the effects of it."
Fellow pundit and former Roscommon footballer Donie Smith believes at the heart of the issue is the punitive nature of the suspension.
"I think the 12-week ban needs to be looked at because the season is so condensed," he said.
"If Ger Brenann got a one or two-game ban, I’m convinced Jim McGuinness would have got the same.
"The problem is the 12 weeks. Yes, the rule was broken, but the ban itself is just too harsh. Twelve weeks is nearly a full championship."
