LAST UPDATE | 13 Sep 2019
DAVID GOUGH HAS insisted there’s no hard feelings between himself and Joe Brolly following criticism by the Derry pundit during the drawn All-Ireland football final two weeks ago.
During half-time of RTÉ’s coverage, Brolly questioned the penalty awarded by Gough and the red card he showed Jonny Cooper. He added that the Meath native had been “clearly influenced by the propaganda coming from Kerry.”
RTÉ subsequently dropped Brolly from its coverage of this weekend’s replay with Donegal coach Stephen Rochford replacing him.
Brolly later retracted his views and apologised to Gough last week after the referee explained his decisions during a phone conversation.
Gough says the pair remain “good friends” and there’s been no fallout.
“That’s his business with another TV company,” he told the Six O’Clock Show.
“Joe picked up the phone and rang me during the week. We had a chat. He explained his viewpoint, I explained mine. He apologised, we got on with life.
“We had a chat about various other different things and we’ll sit down and have a drink again when we see one another. There’s no fallout and we’re still as good friends as we always have been.”
Gaelic Football Referee David Gough reveals how he felt in the run up to the first clash between Dublin and Kerry and has his say on Pundit @JoeBrolly1993 not returning for the replay. @goughd4 pic.twitter.com/cSoRUR1ADL
— Six O'Clock Show (@SixOClockShow) September 12, 2019
Former Kerry manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice and ex-player Aidan O’Mahony both suggested in the build-up to the game that Gough was unsuitable to officiate it because he lived and worked in Dublin.
Gough said he wasn’t affected by all the talk prior to the game.
“It is like any other game. I spent the week beforehand with the sports psychologist who had prepared me for that moment.
“He just made it like any other game and I just couldn’t wait to get onto the pitch and throw the ball up. Everything else just fades into the background after that – the noise in the stadium, the full capacity – you don’t notice anything about it.
“You have 70 to 80 minutes of concentration. You see colours, numbers, jerseys, you don’t even recognise the players. So I didn’t feel any pressure going in at all.”
Cork man Conor Lane will officiate Saturday’s replay between the sides.
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