O’Rourke slams ‘bear hugging’ Dubs

Louth manager Aidan O’Rourke claims Dublin players got around the black card rule on Wednesday evening by cynically “bear hugging” star midfielder Paddy Keenan.

A player has to “deliberately pull down an opponent” to the ground to be awarded a black card under Gaelic football’s new rules. But O’Rourke says Dublin are wrapping a player up with a bear-hug style challenge that keeps both players on their feet as a way around the sanction.

“To be honest, the most annoying part of the game regarding the official was that Paddy Keenan was being cynically fouled every time he got possession,” said O’Rourke.