Barrs only have themselves to blame for Dingle defeat, says top ref Maurice Deegan

The Cork side were penalised for breaching the dissent rule in the final moment's of Sunday's Munster decider

Tue, 09 Dec, 2025 - 07:04

John Fogarty

Three-time All-Ireland SFC final referee Maurice Deegan says St Finbarrs only have themselves to blame for breaching the dissent rule in Sunday’s Munster Club SFC final.

The Laois man joined the Football Review Committee (FRC) this past January and maintains the 50-metre free advancement for not handing the ball to the opposing team has worked well, even though the likes of Kerry manager Jack O’Connor view it as “unnatural”.

Deegan accepts Sunday’s incident was the first high-profile instance where the rule was the deciding factor in the winning and losing of a game.

Deep into additional time, St Finbarr’s defender Dylan Quinn was penalised for not handing over the ball to Dingle’s Brian Ó Conchúir after Ian Maguire was adjudged to have committed a technical foul.

Referee Chris Maguire deemed Quinn had committed dissent and brought forward the free, which Conor Geaney converted as a two-pointer to dramatically win the final for Dingle.

“The ball was on the ground,” Deegan remarked. “The Finbarr’s player picked it up. Why he picked it up, I don’t know. He should have left it on the ground. He didn’t hand it back on the full, which is the rule, so the ball was brought forward 50 metres.

“Had the Finbarr’s player not gone near the ball, it would have been a free for Dingle from where the foul occurred. Now, maybe the Kerry lad made a bit of a meal of it but in saying that the rule is you have to hand the ball back on the full and it wasn’t, simple as that, so it’s fairly clear.” The dissent rule is considered one of the best rules by referees and Deegan has noticed club players aren’t as au fait with the changes as county footballers. “It is the first time a high-profile game has been determined by that rule. It’s been one of the successes. There is no hassle (for referees) because of it.

“What I have noticed too at club level is maybe players aren’t as educated about the new rules as the inter-county lads. Sometimes, they’re in the heel of the hunt and not thinking straight. The rules aren’t new at this stage, they’re nearly 12 months in, but lads are still getting used to them. In the general scheme of things, it won’t do harm because it’ll make players very aware of it. It’ll heighten attention levels.”

The distance Maguire advanced the free has also been questioned but Deegan doesn’t believe there was much of an issue. “I don’t think there was. He was to bring it up 50m – if anything, he could have brought it in further (to make 50m) and the player would have been entitled to bring it outside the arc for the two-pointer. He was still going to have a go at the two-pointer regardless.

“The way I was looking at it, from where the foul was right to where he brought the ball up to, I can guarantee you It was nearly 45 to 45, so he could have brought it up further.”

Deegan pointed out the Hurling Development Committee are taking a leaf out of the FRC’s book and recommending a new dissent rule also be incorporated into the game. Instead of 50m, the advancement is proposed as 30m.

“Hurling are looking at this as well, so there is something correct in the way it has been set up. Discipline has been one of the things cleared up considerably by the rules.”