CORK BOSS JOHN Cleary hit out at the two red cards handed out in the second half of their two-point loss to Dublin in Páirc Uí Chaoimh today.
The Allianz football league encounter saw both sides reduced to 14 men in this Division 2 meeting – Cork midfielder Ian Maguire dismissed for a second yellow in the 38th minute and Dublin defender Lee Gannon also sent to the line nine minutes later after he was booked to the second time.
In total Laois referee Seamus Mulhare showed 10 yellow cards and two red, with Cleary terming some of the decisions ‘bizarre’.
“Soft is being kind to it. Both of them were fierce harsh altogether. I don’t know was there a new rule in today or whatever, they didn’t seem to me like any sendings (sic) offs, both of them
“When the championship starts, it will be blood and thunder. Every game at the start of the league, there is soft cards and soft sending offs, and that was it today. But as I said, some of the decisions were a bit bizarre on both sides. I wouldn’t be blaming the referee for the defeat today.”
Dublin boss Dessie Farrell also felt the red card decisions were ‘soft’.
“I thought the two sending offs were a little bit soft but they balanced each other out in terms of one from each side, from our own perspective with Cork having got a red card you’re always on guard then. You have to be very very disciplined and we’d be disappointed that we ended up equalling the numbers there unnecessarily so.”
Cleary was left disappointed that his team did not manage to get something out of the Division 2 encounter and had to settle for the 0-18 to 2-10 defeat.
“The lads are very disappointed inside there. We came back, I thought we deserved to get something out of it. Maybe Dublin’s bit of experience in the end, they got their scores maybe a slight bit easier at the end of the game.
“But look, I’d be intensely proud of the lads there. The game could’ve went away from us after half-time and we were down to 14 men. They kept battling and we got ourselves back in the game and look, width of a crossbar that we weren’t going home with the two points. Some encouraging performances, some encouraging play.”
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Originally published at 18.30