Clarke plays down Breffni Park fracas

Cavan captain Alan Clarke says there was no malice in Saturday night’s half-time scuffle with Fermanagh and believes referees are booking players for trivial offences.

Sligo whistleblower Michael Duffy flashed 15 yellow cards and three reds during the bad-tempered qualifier in Breffni Park.

Clarke played down the fracas which erupted after the half-time whistle involving both sets of players, subs and backroom staff.

“It was a lot of pushing and shoving, that’s all. It can be built up but it doesn’t take much these days to get a yellow card. You don’t have to hit a lad. All you’ve to do is pull his jersey.

“There is a lot of rubbish talked about the amount of dirt in the game but there is no physicality in the game. The referees are taking the physicality out of the game.”

Four Ulster teams have made it to through to the third round qualifiers this weekend, but one of them is sure to go out, with Cavan drawing Derry away in yesterday’s draw.

Clarke thinks that despite the criticism Ulster counties attract, particularly for overuse of the hand-pass, they are lucky to have a hotly contested provincial championship.

“Ulster football is getting the bad name but sure look at the rubbish being played in some other provinces. Teams are winning games by 20 points and people are saying they’re great teams. The Ulster championship sets you up very well to play in the back door because it is competitive.”

Cavan had no difficulty raising their game to play Fermanagh again, despite the disappointment of their Ulster semi-final defeat to Monaghan, and Clarke praised the players for sticking together as they continue their summer adventure through the qualifiers. “The whole panel is still there, no-one left after we got knocked out of the provincial championship like has happened in other counties. Not one man walked. Other years lads would have walked, myself included. Two years ago we’d probably have taken two championship wins in a row as being a good season. Now this team has bigger ideas than that.”