Kilmurray blames Goggins for card

Offaly manager Kevin Kilmurray has accused Dublin defender Coman Goggins of influencing the dismissal of Alan McNamee in Sunday…

Offaly manager Kevin Kilmurray has accused Dublin defender Coman Goggins of influencing the dismissal of Alan McNamee in Sunday's Leinster final by over-reacting to the foul that led to referee Marty Duffy showing the midfielder a second yellow card.

"The referee has got to be true to himself and not Coman Goggins," said Kilmurray.

"The referee knows Goggins made a meal of the challenge. It seemed, at the time, like all the ambulances from the Mater would not be able to look after him. Cathal Daly was split from knee to ankle by Stephen Cluxton but he got up. He wasn't looking to have any player sent off. He didn't stay down."

Kilmurray also claimed McNamee was unlucky to receive the first yellow card as he was not the culprit.

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The national media and Duffy came in for severe criticism from Kilmurray, whose comments were not heat of the moment as they were made 24 hours after Offaly's defeat to Dublin.

"What about the Cluxton issue? Nobody in the Dublin media stated he should have been sent off."

Kilmurray was referring to a heavy foul by the Dublin goalkeeper, when caught in no man's land, that denied Daly a clear shot at an open goal.

Duffy produced a yellow card but Niall McNamee was wide with the straightforward free that would have put Offaly a point clear at half-time.

"Cluxton gets a yellow card for that challenge but for Alan McNamee the referee couldn't get his red card out of his jumper quick enough.

"If it had been the Offaly goalkeeper there would be no question that he would have walked. That's my reading on it but I'm going to have another look at the video again.

"The referee was too nervous for this kind of game. That match called for experience. I'm sure he is going to be a good referee in time but everyone, including the referee, knew it was going to be a physical match. Both teams are at peak fitness and have gone out of their way to get bigger physically.

"How many yellow cards were there? Too many, and it wasn't a dirty game."

Including the two cautions that led to McNamee's sending off, Duffy produced nine yellow cards on a five-to-four split favouring Offaly.

In comparison to the other provincial finals, nine yellow cards is not excessive. The Ulster final saw 13, Connacht five, Munster five and one straight red (which was overturned). The Munster final replay yielded six.