'It's hard to take and even harder not to say anything'

GAELIC GAMES:KIERAN McGEENEY and officialdom just don't mix. The GAA is better for renegades of his ilk, who are progressive and aspire to see common sense eventually prevail in the conflicting issues that surround the modern game.

The legitimacy of the late free awarded to and kicked by Bernard Brogan is still being debated this morning but that old question about the psychology of GAA officials was sent McGeeney’s way before any dust had settled around Croke Park. Dublin’s Eoghan O’Gara was sent to the line in the 40th minute and the Kildare manager was asked if some referees cannot help but give the benefit of the doubt to the team with the numerical disadvantage.

Maybe it is subconscious, maybe it is guilt or pressure even. Regardless, McGeeney’s response was unequivocal. “Yeah, it does. The benefit of the doubt can go for a whole lot of reasons. Player of the year. A whole lot of different things. It happens, but you just have to try and get on with it as best you can. You can’t control that side of things.

“As a manager on the sideline you can get agitated, but it doesn’t do you any good and it doesn’t change anything. It is a pity that over the last few years bigger and bigger decisions have been costing teams and they won’t address it. You still have the same fellas sitting up there saying there’s nothing wrong.

“The time added on to me is one thing that’s obvious to anybody. It should be bread and butter for teams or for the officialdom. It’s hard to take and it’s even harder for me not to say anything, but you take it and get on with it.”

McGeeney was also of the belief that Dublin can cope with losing a man, two even, better than most other teams. “Their defensive system doesn’t change. They’re still going to give away as many scores, even a man down, but where they are going to lose out is up front where they are a man down. You are never going to get it easy to contain Dublin when they lose a man. They aren’t like other teams with their wing backs pushing forward – their wing backs always sit.

“Whenever you get into their 50 they are still going to have eight men to go around and that’s not going to change, even if they go two men down.”

A stark fact for Kildare is this was yet another defeat to a county that also aspires to win an All-Ireland.Will the do-or-die scenario presented next by Laois focus the players’ minds some more? “No. You say they didn’t want to win today’s game as much as they’ll want to win in two weeks time? No. It doesn’t work like that.

“There are conspiracy theories out there about wanting to take the qualifier route, but players only know one way – straight ahead.”