Dublin manager Jim Gavin has denied that diving has become a problem of epidemic proportions within Gaelic football despite the ongoing Tiernan McCann affair.
Tyrone's McCann is expected to appear before a Central Hearings Committee (CHC) meeting tonight to account for his actions in the All-Ireland quarter-final defeat of Monaghan which led to a retrospective eight-week ban.
The hard working half-forward fell theatrically to the ground after his hair was touched lightly by Monaghan's Darren Hughes late in the tense encounter.
As things stand, McCann is banned for Sunday's All-Ireland semi-final against Kerry though Tyrone officials are optimistic that his proposed punishment will be rescinded.
A number of other high profile diving incidents have taken place in recent seasons with Michael Shields of Cork also going to ground easily in their Munster final replay loss to Kerry.
As far back as the beginning of last year's Championship, then Donegal manager Jim McGuinness claimed that diving had become more 'prevalent' and blamed it on the new black card though Gavin isn't convinced there's a problem.
"I don't think it's an epidemic," said Gavin. "I actually think that officials are getting better and better. I can see the standards increasing every year with them.
"From players to managers to supporters and people who follow the game, they all just want consistency and I think we're getting there.
"Referees and volunteers, like the rest of us, they're doing their best and that's all we ask them to do. In this case, the player (McCann) made a mistake, I'm sure he realises that as well and I'm sure he'll play against Kerry."
Gavin claimed that the game is generally cleaner now and rejected the suggestion that the black card hasn't proved a strong enough deterrent to cynical play.
"I'd beg to differ," said the 2013 All-Ireland winning manager. "Personally, I would have always been in favour of the sin bin from the word go but it didn't get there. We got the black card which was purposely brought in to address body collisions and trips and I think that part of our game is being eradicated.
"I think we're seeing less and less of it and it's going in the right direction."
McCann himself was subsequently black carded in the win over Monaghan and the suggestion was put to Gavin that players are still happy to incur a black card if they prevent a score at a late stage in a tight game.
"I don't know myself if the stats overall bear that out but it doesn't appear that way to me," argued Gavin.
"We did see it in the hurling over the weekend (when Tipperary's Seamus Callanan was dragged down by Galway's John Hanbury). But I do think it was a positive step to bring in the black card in football to try and curb that type of play and I think it's going to progress naturally over the coming years."
