Galway manager Pádraic Joyce: 'There was some decisions that I found baffling'

BAFFLING: Galway’s manager Padraic Joyce was not happy with some of the referee's decisions. Pic: ©INPHO/James Crombie

Beaten Galway manager Pádraic Joyce has described as “baffling” some of the second-half calls by referee David Gough, most especially his refusal to award Galway a 64th minute penalty.

The sides were level at 1-20 apiece when Rob Finnerty was fouled outside the 40-metre arc. Advantage was played by Gough, with Shane Walsh’s subsequent orange flag effort hitting the post. John Maher reacted quickest to claim the breaking possession before being challenged, illegally so in the view of Joyce, by Theo Clancy and Ciarán Kilkenny.

But instead of awarding a Galway penalty, Gough brought play back out for the initial two-point free, which the Tribesmen eventually mined a white flag from after Walsh’s placed-ball kick came back off the post.

It was to prove their sole score following the 53rd minute goal that shoved them 1-20 to 0-17 in front.

“I don’t know did Dublin find another gear, I think they were helped find another gear along the way with some poor decisions that was given out there.

“We were six up, we had Shane [Walsh] running through on goal, he gets dragged to the ground by three lads, and no free given,” Joyce said of a 58th minute turnover that ended with a Paddy Small point and Dublin closing to within four.

“We then come back and we have an advantage on a two-pointer that John Maher catches inside the big square. He is clearly pulled to the ground from what I can see, and the [penalty] is not given because the referee told the linesman that it wasn’t a foul, so go back to the two-point free.

“Yeah, so not taking away from what Dublin did at the end there. We can put a bit of blame on ourselves to score only once when we were six up and then lose by four.

“But definitely there was some decisions there that I found baffling.”

While Joyce said he “can’t argue too much” with the game-changing black-card penalty given against Galway, albeit he did claim they had a covering defender in behind the guilty Liam Silke, he did return to the Galway penalty not given later in his post-match interview.

His insistence was that Maher was pulled to the ground.

“I would take issue with the one John Maher didn’t get. That’s a frustrating one.”

Refereeing calls and non-calls aside, Joyce knew the finger could also be pointed at his own crew.

“We have to own the defeat, which I’ll do and the players will do. There was a lot of stuff in the game that didn’t go right for us. We didn’t get our hands on enough ball from kickouts. Everyone knows that. But we had chances, as well. We had a few bad wides. Our efficiency overall was quite good.

“We just didn’t see the game out. Went six up, should have pushed on more and got scores. Didn’t do it and paid the ultimate price for it.”