Lilywhites boss on loser with officials

HE really doesn’t want to be beating the same drum and yesterday, Kieran McGeeney seemed literally worn down by having to address another refereeing decision that cost his team so dearly.

Pat Gilroy was insistent that Bernard Brogan was fouled in the second minute of injury time by Andriú Mac Lochlainn and that he had been on numerous occasions before that without getting the decision.

Television replays confirmed the initial suspicion that it was a wrong call by Cormac Reilly however.

Reilly had been the subject of McGeeney’s ire following a Leinster championship victory over Wexford in Carlow two years ago and the Meath official was subsequently invited to a Kildare training session to show the players how they might avoid giving away so many frees.

Since then, Pat McEnaney angered the Lilywhite set-up with late frees to Dublin in the subsequent Leinster final, and the award of Benny Coulter’s ‘square ball’ goal in last term’s All-Ireland semi-final.

McGeeney knows that some people view him as a crank but when asked the question, he answers.

“You have seen it, I don’t have to say it. It was plain as day and I think they’re going on about it on TV.

“I can’t go on about referees much longer. I just can’t. When you lose, you lose. You just have to take it on the chin.

“(Mac Lochlainn) didn’t do anything wrong. He didn’t do anything wrong. Even after probably seven replays he still didn’t do (anything) wrong.... You can’t just keep going on and on about it.

“It’s annoying.”

The manager agreed that Kildare didn’t just lose it in that incident alone, but despite some wasted opportunities, the wide count was reduced considerably from previous outings to nine.

Dublin’s back-tracking, often having 13 players behind the ball, made things very difficult up front.

“You go back over it and most of the free-kicks we get seem to be well outside the 45 and we should have got a few of them but they... had a couple of bad wides themselves.

“(We) probably done enough I thought to shade it but it has to be on the scoreboard.”

He has no worries about Kildare’s ability to lift themselves from this latest setback for the local derby with Laois, managed by his good mate, Justin McNulty.

“(It’s) not hard at all to be honest. We’ll take it on the chin and come back and show that despite things going against them they’re a good team.”