Connolly courts drama again as Dublin pass an early stress test
WE NEED to talk about Diarmuid. On an evening when Carlow set up to beat the handicap with a 13-man defensive cordon that stretched behind their own 45 metre line, it was all about the discipline of the All-Ireland champions.
Well-drilled and well organised, Carlow’s defensive system at in Portlaoise was designed as a stress test for a team whose average winning margin in 12 previous Leinster games since Jim Gavin took over was a cool 15 points.
A 12-point win would suggest that things went according to plan, yet once again the headlines surrounded the volatile and mercurial talent of Diarmuid Connnolly. The latest episode in the soap opera of his inter-county career saw him lose the head after linesman Ciaran Branagan awarded a lineball to Carlow.
With Dublin well held at half-time and only leading by three, 0-8 to 0-5, the growing sense of frustration lead to him vehemently contesting the call early in the second half, lightly laying his hand on the official and then wagging a finger at him. His mood had darkened after he clearly thought it was a Dublin ball only to have three Carlow players surround him and wrestle the ball off him.
By the letter of the law, ‘minor interference’ with an official carries a minimum 12-week suspension. If the GAA were to pursue him retrospectively via video evidence and try and make such a charge stick, then such a ban would rule him out until the eve of an All-Ireland semifinal on August 27 — if Dublin win Leinster and progress as expected.
And the immediate hand-wringing online suggested plenty would like to see a player whose temperament has been a running story to such a gifted talent done bang to rights.
Except a few pertinent points. It would be a stretch to describe the lightest of contacts with Branagan as a ‘push’. The best arbiter of the extent of the incident has to be the official himself — who thought little enough of it at the time to just carry on.
For a long time, if a referee dealt with a disciplinary issue at the time, that was it. The whims of the current Central Competitions Control Committee and their approach to contentious incidents means that nobody is sure whether this soap opera will run and run.
Jim Gavin pleaded the fifth in terms of the incident, especially given that it was the dismissal of Carlow talisman Brendan Murphy in the 48th minute after stupidly tangling with Jonny Cooper off the ball that ultimately ended the game as a contest, Dublin kicking nine of the last 10 points.
‘I thought the defence played well,’ said Gavin. ‘In the second half they limited them to two points from play. Obviously Brendan Murphy getting sent off had an impact on the game — he’s a quality player. But I think even at that point they might only have had one attack in the first 15 minutes of the second half.’
It said a lot about Carlow’s effort that Sean Murphy bagged the Man of the Match award with an inspired display, kicking the score of the game in the first half and running 60 yards back at another stage to get a block on Dean Rock. That Connolly didn’t register a score from play or that the All-Ireland champions failed to create a goal chance was also significant.
‘I don’t think pundits should shed any crocodile tears for Carlow or any of the lower-ranked counties today,’ said Carlow manager Turlough O’Brien afterwards on the running debate over a two-tier future championship.
‘We don’t need condescension dripping from pens or keyboards. We’re very happy to be on that pitch with Dublin. We gave a very, very good account of ourselves.’