Meath fell to a heavy 1-27 to 1-14 defeat at the hands of Dublin in the Leinster Senior Football Championship semifinal with the Royals finishing the game with just 13 men after having Jack Flynn and Jordan Morris dismissed during the contest.
Jordan Morris was one of Meath's few standout performers during the loss having scored 1-3, but the corner forward was shown a straight red card in injury time for a push on Dublin defender Lee Gannon.
Gannon had been awarded a free after being tackled by Morris. Moments after the incident, Morris pushes Gannon with two hands in the chest and Gannon topples over. Ref Derek O'Mahony brandished a red card.
(Jump to 5.10 of the video above to view the incident)
Andy McEntee not impressed with Dublin player
The incident happens right along the sideline and just in front of Meath manager Andy McEntee.
Speaking to reporters after the match, Andy McEntee was critical of the Whitehall Colmcille's man and said he was disappointed with how these actions are "creeping into the game"
"The one in front of me [Morris] was a bit laughable, to tell you the truth."
"If a young Dublin player, when they're ten or 12 points up, thinks it's worth taking a dive when he gets a slap on the chest... it's something that is creeping into the game and it's disappointing."
"I didn't get to see it back but it happened right in front of me. I could hear the slap on his chest. Is that sending off? Maybe it is, I don't know." he added
John Kiely on officiating in the GAA
It was a weekend where simulation dominated the GAA talking points. In Ennis yesterday, Gearóid Hegarty was shown a second yellow card for swinging his hurl towards Aaron Fitzgerald during Limerick's draw with Clare.
Limerick boss John Kiely believes that there is a "narrative" surrounding Hegarty which is impacting the decision making of referees on the pitch.
Speaking to reporters following the game, Kiely said:
"We’ve watched it back there on the tape and it’s quite clear that there's no contact."
"The player basically just grabbed his stomach and has thrown himself down on the ground - there was no contact."
"There’s a narrative there at the moment that Gearóid is playing on the edge or doing x, y, or z, and it’s feeding into people’s decision-making. It needs to stop, because it’s going to have a big impact and it’s just disappointing, really disappointing."
It will be interesting to see if either Hegarty's yellow or Morris's red are rescinded. Dublin will play Kildare in the Leinster final.
See Also: Cusack Has Little Sympathy For Gearoid Hegarty After Red Card
