A nasty edge to proceedings marred yesterday’s drawn All-Ireland semi-final, according to Sunday Game analysts Kevin McStay, Ciarán Whelan and Tomás Ó Sé.
The game was fiercely contested and saw two penalty kicks awarded, while Diarmuid Connolly was red-carded for fighting with Lee Keegan late in the game. Michael Darragh MacAuley and Denis Bastick received black cards for dragging opponents down.
Johnny Cooper and Cillian O’Connor were both involved in incidents early in the game. Cooper caught Mayo’s Diarmuid O’Connor in the knee with his studs, while Cillian O’Connor lashed backwards at Rory O’Carroll and opened a cut on the Dublin player.
McStay said: “It was at times unrefereeable. I can’t criticise (referee) Joe McQuillan too much.”
Philly McMahon was also involved in an incident, clashing with Mayo forward Aidan O’Shea. McStay believes that McMahon initially feigned injury and that he may yet face sanction for the Category 4 offence of “striking or attempting to strike with the head.”
He commented: “You had a Dublin player today diving and feigning injury. He held up the game for nearly two minutes holding his head and he was not struck. In fact he was attempting to get Aidan O’Shea into trouble and that has no place in the game.
“I don’t like saying that about Philly but there were times today where his self-discipline was lost. He was out of control.”
Former Dublin midfielder Whelan agreed with McStay. “I think he’ll realise tomorrow definitely, the feigning injury was...he took a dive and he held his head.”
