There was a glut of Championship action on today, with more of the same – this time including us – on tomorrow, but from our perspective the main match of interest was the one that took place this afternoon at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
We’re playing Cork in a fortnight – When? Where? At what time? One of these fine days the GAA will no doubt deign to inform us mere mortals about these trifling details – so it was the Rebels’ performance that was of most interest from our point of view. They’d narrowly beaten Louth last time out but today they were the ones to lose in a game of tight margins … and a highly questionable refereeing call.
Cork only lost by two points and, as well as cursing their own wastefulness in front of the posts, both from frees and open play, the main talking point was the controversial decision by referee David Gough to award Kerry a second half penalty for an infringement that occurred outside the square.
The Meath official invoked the same rule he’d used to award Monaghan a spot-kick late in our National League Round 7 match back in March, where a foul outside the square involved the prevention of a goal-scoring opportunity. The decision then didn’t bother us – as we were already in the final, regardless of the result – but today’s one was hugely important and it turned a contest in which a lacklustre Kerry were under pressure back in their favour.
Geaney was fouled alright – and the way Powter ploughed into him was agricultural in the extreme – but it was still a fair old stretch to deem the infraction one that prevented a goalscoring opportunity. I’ve looked back at it a good few times and with every look the incident appears less like a penalty. It’s hard to avoid the conclusion that the Meath official got that crucial decision badly wrong.
When Clifford dispatched the spot-kick, Cork were four down but they refused to lie down from then to the finish. Kerry were very relieved to come away with an undeserved two-point win after yet another under-par performance. Can they lift it when it really counts? We’ll know soon enough.
While our focus tonight remains on the challenge we face tomorrow, it’s obvious from their display today that the Cork game has the potential to be a tricky one for us. They’re a game side, with plenty of fine footballers and while tactically they too often betrayed their Division Two standing this afternoon, with Kevin Walsh in their backroom team we can expect them to set up against us in a way designed to make life difficult for us.
This, in turn, arguably makes tomorrow even more important for us. If we shoot the lights out against Louth then we’re all but guaranteed to top Group 1 and advance directly to the All-Ireland quarter-final regardless of what happens against Cork. So, as Kevin McStay and his colleagues have been reminding us all year, it’s all about the next test facing us. For us, that’s the one posed by the Wee County at Castlebar tomorrow afternoon.
No worries Willie Joe. A hardened Division 1 team that Louth will not be able to handle.
I don’t know what all the fuss is about.
Mayo by 7+ with maximum subs getting a run.
4 points in the bag by 3.30 tomorrow.
I totally agree that it’s ridiculous that the GAA hasn’t named a venue for the Cork game. Possibly waiting to line up money spinning double headers.
Hindsight and use of several replays is a great thing Willie Joe.
The rule is if it’s inside the 21 yard line and it’s the denial of a goal scoring opportunity it’s a penalty. If that was a Mayo attack I’d find it hard to believe if you didn’t feel a great goal scoring chance was on.
Watching it back on tv i agree It was a great goalscoring chance either for geaney to shoot or pass across to unmarked teammate so correct decision for me. On ticket situation it’s not letting me buy tickets online saying unable to reserve ticket right now. Anyone having same problem or able to help me out.
Funny how we can see different things in the same game. Even without our Green and Red tinted glasses on.
Gough was spot on in that call for me. He got dozens of others wrong mind, thought it was a poor performance in general and skewed very pro-Kerry. One blatant black card not given to them and another subjective one not given along with multiple soft frees overwhelmingly favouring the away side.
For the penalty though it was pretty text book. Powter doesn’t foul and Geaney is left with 3 Cork defenders out of position behind/to his right, keeper to his left and Clifford completely unmarked inside with a huge area to hit him. Not a sure goal by any means but absolutely a goal scoring opportunity. Which is exactly why Powter launched himself at him and pulled him down.
Plenty of question marks on why refs frequently aren’t implementing 5.41 according to the rule book (even DG himself missed one in the Ulster Final when black carding Rodgers for a foul on the edge of the square) but not on the one today.
For anyone unfamiliar with the specifics:
https://www.gaa.ie/api/pdfs/image/upload/vxpgnvzwyiogaylcqubh.pdf
Page 98/99: Rule 5.41
Page 109: Definition of a goal scoring opportunity.
The only bit of it in question today is “In the opinion of the Referee, the player fouled or, in the case of a Rule 5.12 Infraction, his team, had and was denied of the opportunity to score a goal when the infraction was committed.”
No real question there was an opportunity of a goal there. Black card and penalty all day for me.
Cork will be kicking themselves, they left that one behind them for sure. Would have been very interesting to see how they’d have got on with a fully fit Meehan and Walsh. We’ll have our hands full in game 3.
in my book , Kerry were poor against us 2 weeks ago. They were poor again today and a little fortunate to actually win but David Gough made the right call for the penalty. Mayo be warned….it won’t be easy to beat Cork ..
Interesting the hear Paul Flynn praising Kerry on how good they are at tactical fouling
The problem with the penalty is that it is the referees opinion and is not clearly defined.a very similar incident happened in the Kildare v Dublin game and no penalty was awarded.it will often depend on the angle the referee is viewing it from
Poster thought that it was a goalscoring chance, or he would not have pulled him down!
@1985: The foul in the Dublin game wasn’t given as a black card so was given for the strike in the ribs with the defenders left hand rather than as a pull down for his right (I watched it multiple times and I’m still not sure if he pulled him with the right or not… it’s very debatable so I can understand the refs call on that one without having any strong feeling on him being right/wrong).
The penalty/54.1 was never an option in that case. We’re onto a conversation on the subjectivity of the black card rather than the subjectivity of a penalty there.
Agree with most posters here. It was a
Penalty by the letter of the law.
The problem is most refs are not as good
As Gough and don’t implement the laws
Properly. Kerry average again today, over reliant
Once again he’s n Clifford and were lucky Cork
Forwards couldn’t shoot
To the letter of the law it was a penalty but to me it’s a daft rule. They might was well make the entire area inside the 21 metre line the box. You’d need VAR style analytics with lines on a screen to determine if it was a clear goal scoring opportunity should there be any other defenders parallel or even close to where the foul takes place to absolutely sure of consistency. Why complicate things? If it’s in the box it’s a pen. If not it’s a free. If it’s outside the box but blatant then a red card. It feels like an unfair double punishment especially if the foul is illtimed rather than violent. Refs have enough to be doing than having to make a call on something so subjective in split seconds. To be fair this ref got it right but plenty wouldn’t and don’t.
Penalty, Black Card correct call in my opinion. Regardless of that, the attendance at Nowlan Park Kildare v Dublin only 8K.. you’d be going back a long time for such a meager Crowd if Mayo were playing even away in a league Match. I know that the Epson Derby was on, but you have to ask would that have kept so many Kildare fans stay away? As for the Dubs turning up on mass didn’t happen. Back in 1998 after Kildare had been beaten in the All Ireland September v Galway,the league started in October.. Mayo played Kildare in Newbridge , well over 8K turned up , 75% were from Mayo. Anyhow the start of the second half was delayed in order to broadcast over the public address system a radio broadcast of some or other horse race in St Conleth Park , . When we played Kildare in Newbridge or Nowhere, it was Irish Derby day at the Curragh just down the road. For so many in Kildare, GAA dosent register, ..
Kerry’s and to a lesser extent Dublin’s tactical fouling today was prolific and is making the game much less enjoyable. Anytime Cork’s Sean Powter or Matthew Taylor were on the ball they immediately got badly fouled so their progress was stopped.They are dangerous attacking threats and Kerry made sure to stop them any which way.There simply has to be punishment for this when a team repeatedly does it.A fourteen yard free each time would stop it pdq.
There needs to be something done and I abhor calling it a “professional foul”It’s anything but professional unless they really mean “cynical”
I’d agree on the “professional fouling” nonsense, something has to be done about it. The more annoying part is the way teams stop a free being taking quickly. Start by moving the ball up 50 metres of a player is stopped from taking a quick free kick. That cuts out one element of it.
How the Tyrone player didn’t get a black in passage of play when Rian O’Neill was sent off is beyond me, had the Armagh player around the ankle and pulled him down.
No problem with the black card and penalty………if similar offences were punished equally. It’s the lack of consistency that is frustrating and stopping a clear goal scoring opportunity by a foul whether it’s a black or yellow card should always be a penalty. Some players will obviously try to manufacture a foul (diving) on themselves to get a penalty and this should also be a card offence.
This penalty rule was brought in a few years ago and there was uproar when a penalty was awarded after a lad was fouled out on the sideline in a hurling game.it was then changed to the ref having to guess the distance in from the sideline that was penalty area where this would be imposed.I wasn’t aware it had to be a black card offence for it to be deemed a penalty.surely swinging someone around by the neck also prevents a clear goal scoring chance.the gaa have enough issues with the crazy difference in interpretation of the existing rules like the tackle besides asking referees to rule on imaginary lines somewhere between the sideline and the large parallelogram or penalty area or whatever they will call it when it suits them
Willie Joe, I’m glad you’re as annoyed about the lack of information about the Mayo v Cork game as I am. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a poor attendance for that as a result.
I’d imagine they are waiting to see which final games will have the most riding on them before deciding which will be televised and when.
Hoping for a big crowd today and a continuation of the great football we saw against Kerry!
Still think Gough is good ref. Would agree with penalty though I thought he made other errors and was not up to his usual high standard. No doubt but that Cork are certainly improving. They could have won and will certainly be a test for us. We just need to win today, move on to 4 points and see what happens after that. Kerry are struggling to find their form but could be a dangerous animal yet. They tightened up considerably at the back in contrast to their performance against us and any team with Clifford can pose a serious threat at the other end.
It was a lazy challenge from Powter. He really had to stay on his feet and delay Geaney as Cork had two more defenders filtering back on the cover.
I’m going to go against the grain here as I thought the award of the pen was harsh. Technically, Gough is correct but it’s a handy one for Kerry.
Kerry were very unimpressive again. If David Clifford strains a hammer etc over the next few weeks they’re goosed.