Replay is fine with us, says Farney manager
IN the latest instalment of a numerically challenging summer for the GAA, Donegal may become the latest to suffer. Croke Park is expected to investigate a report that despite Martin McElhinney’s sending-off in the 55th minute Donegal were briefly restored to their full complement of players in injury-time here.
However, unlike the miscounted scoreline in the Christy Ring Cup final and the miscounted number of subs in the Laois/Armagh game, for obvious reasons any proposed sanction that Donegal will face is unlikely to extend beyond a fine.
It is believed that the confusion was created by a communication breakdown surrounding the introduction of substitute Eoin Ban Gallagher deep in injury-time.
The error was brought to the fourth official’s attention by an animated Monaghan sideline, but afterwards Malachy O’Rourke suggested that they were happy to let the matter lie.
‘Naw,’ replied O’Rourke, when quizzed if he would be requesting his board to take the matter further. ‘I did seem to think it was strange what was going on, alright.
‘Look it, I was caught up in the game but I’m sure there was enough people there, enough officials and TV cameras that will be able to see it for themselves,’ added the Monaghan boss.
The breach of regulation, which is almost certain to be included in referee Joe McQuillan’s report, will leave the Central Competitions Control Committee with only three courses of action open to it: punish Donegal with forfeiture of game, order a replay or issue the board with a fine.
With a replay scheduled for next weekend, the CCCC will take up the least punitive option available, which is a fine.
If that is the case, Donegal are unlikely to complain despite the fact that they were the ones who were caught on the line in the sixth and final minute of injury-time.
They paid the price for Anthony Thompson barreling into outstanding Monaghan midfielder Karl O’Connell, which paved the way for Conor McManus to kick the equalising free. However, they had a couple of reasons to be the cheerier about the outcome.
The first is that that they have not given up on the possibility that Neil McGee, who has served the first of a two-game ban, could be available for next weekend.
Donegal manager Rory Gallagher confirmed afterwards that they will appeal the decision of the Central Hearing Committee last week to uphold McGee’s ban, by going to the Central Appeals Committee this week.
‘We’ll be taking it further,’ confirmed Gallagher. ‘There just hasn’t been an appeal hearing yet.
‘When you have a man sent off you just have to plan without him but the plus point in the overall scheme of the Championship is he’s one game down and we’re no worse off,’ added Gallagher.
Apart from McGee burning off half of his ban for free, the main reason why Donegal will feel the happier is that they looked dead and buried entering the final quarter here.
Down to 14 men and trailing by two points (0-10 to 0-8), they looked a beaten docket, not least because they had spurned a hatful of chances.
Kieran Gillespie and Paddy McBrearty passed up clear goal chances after half-time, while they kicked six poor wides, including three frees from the boot of the otherwise excellent Michael Murphy, who also scuffed another short, in the third quarter.
Gallagher admitted that the pressure may have got to his captain.
‘I’d say pressure was a big part of it. From Michael’s point of view, he’s not long back training so I imagine the game will do him the world of good. It happens,’ admitted Gallagher.
That should have had fatal consequences but instead they rallied on the strength of Odhran MacNiallais’ 57th-minute goal — although television replays indicated that the goal should not have stood as MacNiallais’ marker Fintan Kelly was fouled in the build-up.
That will form part of Monaghan’s argument that the least they deserved after the most absorbing and physically demanding game of the summer was another chance.
Their play deserved it too, particularly in the third quarter when they scored four points from play on the bounce, including a sublime effort from McManus, and two from the outstanding O’Connell.
Meanwhile, O’Rourke also suggested his team felt aggrieved that they got what he felt was the thin edge of the refereeing wedge.
‘I thought a few of the frees they got that seemed innocuous enough to me but again maybe that’s the way I see it whereas I thought we had to fight a little bit harder for frees particularly in the first half.’