Two years and four days after Brian Fenton made his debut for Dublin, he finally knows what it’s like to lose an inter-county match.
Back on the 5th of April in 2015, the Raheny man was selected to start his first match for the sky blues in Clones against Monaghan and he helped change life as everyone in the capital knew it.
Here’s a brief snapshot of what the world looks like under Brian Fenton:
- 2015 National Football League title
- 2015 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship title
- 2016 National Football League title
- 2016 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship title
Along the way, the Dubs never lost a game. Not since Kerry beat them on the first day of March in 2015 had Jim Gavin’s men surrendered any fixture until the same opposition finally came back out on top on Sunday in the league final.
It meant that Brian Fenton had enjoyed over two years of undefeated inter-county football – and this off the back of winning the under-21 All-Ireland too.
He didn’t know any other way but the Kingdom soon taught him and, amidst the euphoria at the realisation that the Dubs could be beaten, everyone was sparing a though for the midfielder.
BREAKING: Brian Fenton has lost a match
— Conor Glancy (@conorg1989) April 9, 2017
Our thoughts are with Brian Fenton at this difficult time #DubvKer
— Mikey Stafford (@me_stafford) April 9, 2017
What a win 💚💛Hope the Dubs have a counsellor for Brian Fenton in that 30 strong backroom team…..#DubvKer
— Mary Joyce (@mozziejoyce) April 9, 2017
Don't know if I was upset because we lost or because Fenton lost his winning streak
— Kirsten (@kirstenmurron) April 9, 2017
I wonder what Brian Fenton thinks about losing a match? His first defeat for the @DubGAAOfficial! #DubvKer #Gaa
— Eamonn McGurk (@McGurkEamonn) April 9, 2017
Thoughts are with Fenton on his first competitive loss in a senior jersey…crazy stat!
— Lauren Guilfoyle (@LaurenGuilfoyle) April 9, 2017
Maybe this will soften the blow.
Brian Fenton is half Killarney so I think it's only fitting that his first loss is to Kerry 👌🏻
— Seán O'Sullivan (@sean_osull00) April 9, 2017
However, whilst Diarmuid Connolly’s rather foolish off the ball challenge earned him a black card, Fenton must’ve been counting his lucky stars that he didn’t suffer the same fate in the second period.
Let’s go over the black card rules again. Below are the offences outlined to be punished with a black card:
- Deliberate body collide
- Deliberate trip
- Deliberate pull down
- Verbal abuse
- Remonstrating with an official
The deliberate body collide punishment was brought in to stop what was known as third man tackles, when players deliberately don’t go for the ball that’s just been passed off and instead check the man who’s played it so he can go no further.
It was brought in for exactly what happened on Sunday.
Kerry break from defence.
Even with the ball going over his head, Fenton steps forward.
He gets his hands on the opposition to stop him going any further.
The ball is going but the player is going nowhere.
He ends up on the ground.
The referee was in clear sight of the foul and he stopped the play to deal with it.
He saw it and yet he still issued Fenton with just a yellow card. What’s worse is that he then has the audacity to write something in his book in reference to the foul he’s just witnessed. If he concluded that it was a yellow, he obviously wrote down lies in his book.
Otherwise, he’d be called up for not dishing out the appropriate punishment which should’ve been a black.
Stuff like this is the biggest reason for why the black card isn’t working.
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