Inter-county refs say Mayo star O’Donoghue should have seen red in All-Ireland finalMembers of the GAA referees’ championship panel reviewed a selection of incidents from the closing games of the Championship campaign Tue, 01 Sep, 2026 – 10:22John Fogarty
A majority of inter-county football referees believe Ryan O’Donoghue should have been sent off in Mayo’s All-Ireland SFC final win over Kerry.
In a meeting last Thursday, members of the championship panel reviewed a selection of incidents from the closing games of the championship. One of them was O’Donoghue’s late shoulder on David Clifford in the final minute of the first half.
O’Donoghue made contact with David Clifford’s head area after the Kerry forward had passed the ball to Tom O’Sullivan in the build-up to a Joe O’Connor point. Clifford required medical attention following the incident and O’Donoghue, who was later awarded man of the match, avoided punishment.
It was the opinion of referees at the meeting that McNally, who was not in attendance, should have issued a red card for what they considered a reckless foul.
Jack Coyne’s foul on Kerry defender Dylan Casey in the 28th minute was also highlighted but the views of referees were more varied. Coyne swung with a closed fist and connected with Dylan Casey after the Kerry defender had lowered himself to retrieve the ball from Paudie Clifford. Casey required medical treatment, was temporarily replaced by Evan Looney and Coyne was booked for the incident.
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Speaking at Kerry’s homecoming in Tralee the day after the final, manager Jack O’Connor felt “marginal calls” had gone against Kerry but made no specific references.
“That extra bit of hunger that Mayo had and a few tight, marginal calls went their way. You have to say that on balance they deserved it and if anyone was going to beat us you can’t begrudge Mayo after 75 years, so congratulations to them.”
Referees are asked about such incidents as a means of ascertaining there is consensus about the application of the rulebook. A review of the closing games in this year’s All-Ireland senior hurling championship will take place later this week.
The general opinion following the game was McNally performed well in his first All-Ireland SFC decider, although he missed Darragh Beirne’s double hop before scoring a point early in the second half.
There were also claims he didn’t see a similar technical foul by Seán O’Shea prior to his 23rd minute point. However, it appeared his first bounce was an attempt to get the ball under control.
Football referees were also briefed on the experimental rules that will be enforced in this year’s third level Division 1 league (Ryan Cup).
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