McEniff calls for Ulster refs after Clones chaos

Armagh 3-11 Donegal 1-10

Maurice Deegan walked off the pitch he never really controlled to a chorus of catcalls, mostly with Donegal accents. It’s unlikely the Laois man will be holidaying in the northwest this summer.

As Deegan was escorted off by stewards and gardaí, Brian McEniff was telling a watching nation that Ulster games should only be refereed by Ulstermen. This does little to burst the perception of the Ulster GAA standing as themselves alone.

Meanwhile, Kieran McGeeney and John Cunningham, the Donegal mentor, had to separated after a prolonged period of eye-balling. This game, which as everyone now knows saw Donegal reduced to 12 men, has turned this rivalry spiteful, and such is the distaste these two teams now have for each other, if they meet again later in the summer the match may have to be played in a cage.

Eamon McGee, Brian Roper and Adrian Sweeney all got their marching orders in the second half, along with Armagh’s Francie Bellew, as Donegal’s Ulster championship ambitions came apart. Afterwards, McEniff was more vocal about Deegan’s performance.

“I have always maintained that an Ulster man should referee these games,” he said. “That was no advantage to anybody, that refereeing performance, and I felt we suffered.

“I felt that where Armagh had the upper hand for much of the game, we had an opportunity to take scores and couldn’t because Armagh players were hanging out of us, and we didn’t get a free. What happens in that case? Players get frustrated.”

McEniff might have a point. Armagh are certainly cuter than their rivals, and they dragged Donegal into a dogfight when McEniff’s side would have been better served trying to play football - evident in the fact that Brendan Devanney’s 59th minute goal was their only score from play.

Joe Kernan was equally frustrated by Deegan’s display, despite the fact that the game showed Steven McDonnell has returned to the form expected of one of the most highly-rated forwards around. McDonnell and Clarke showed the understanding that drove Armagh to the All-Ireland in 2002 before Clarke limped off at half-time, the old scourge of injuries back to haunt him.

“It was tough stuff out there,” said Big Joe. “Both teams want to win but that was very frustrating, the way the game was refereed.”

It was suggested that Kernan didn’t help matters by roaring at the referee as he walked in at the interval.

“I won’t be blamed for what happened out there,” Kernan responded angrily. “I went to the referee after the first half to say I wasn’t happy. Am I not entitled to do that? I didn’t abuse him for his performance. It was a frustrating day for everyone involved.”

In the ensuing controversy over Deegan, it was almost forgotten that Armagh surged into yet another Ulster semi-final, while Donegal take the road less travelled to Aughrim to regroup this week.

It was a poor Donegal display, Devanney their only real shining light, while Armagh’s inside forward line played like they did all spring.

However, this game will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. Donegal allowed this Armagh side to get inside their heads again and their game subsequently fell apart.

“Our team will learn from this,” McEniff said. “If we have a team left. Never in all my years did a Donegal team have three players sent off. That was a physical game, but not a dirty game, that is why we need referees who understand Ulster football.”

Armagh have a week to lick their own wounds before re-entering the Clones cauldron against Derry next Sunday. Two excellent teams who can play football. However, expect nothing but a similar attritional struggle.

ARMAGH: P Hearty; A Mallon, F Bellew, E McNulty, A Kernan (0-3, 1 f), K McGeeney, A McCann; P Loughran, P McGrane; M O’Rourke (0-2), J McEntee, O McConville (0-1), S McDonnell (1-2), R Clarke(1-1), B Mallon. Subs: M Mackin (1-0) for Clarke (ht), A O’Rourke (0-1) for McCann (40 mins), J Toal for McGrane (61 mins), K McElvanna for A Mallon (62 mins).

DONEGAL: M Boyle; N McCready, E McGee, K Lacey, D Diver, B Monaghan, S Carr; B Boyle, N Gallagher; C Toye, M Hegarty, B Roper, C McFadden (0-6, all frees), A Sweeney, B Devanney (1-4, 4f). Subs: R Kavanagh for McCready (ht), S McDermott for Boyle (41 mins), B Dunnion for Diver (61 mins), R Bradley for Devanney (66 mins).

Referee: M Deegan (Laois).