“He danced over that line.”
Former Tyrone star Enda McGinley said on The Sunday Game that James McCarthy had “crossed the line” at times in the All-Ireland final against Kerry.
The Dublin captained had made a consistent number of fouls during the match that many had thought should have warranted a sending off.
However, David Gough didn’t see the need to make that decision, let the game flowed, and in the end, Dublin won the match to claim the 31st All-Ireland title.
McCarthy made history alongside his teammates Stephen Cluxton and Mick Fitzsimons by winning his ninth Celtic Cross, meaning that they have more than any other player in history.
The Ballymun star is known for his aggressive style, and McGinley was complimentary of his physicality, but did admit that he was lucky at times.
“Sometimes it’s about teams finding the line,” McGinley said on The Sunday Game.
“For me, Dublin found the line. Now, for example, James McCarthy probably crossed over that line, danced over that line. He got away with it.
“Any team that has won something and any team that has lost something knows there’s no criticism in Dublin for finding that line. That’s what you have to do win championships. Dublin probably found that line better today.
“You can quibble about the fairness of it and you can certainly quibble that there probably should have been more cards. James McCarthy was probably lucky to stay on, but they found the line, they played on it and that physicality certainly set the tone for the game.”
Paul Flynn, a former teammate of McCarthy, put this down to the referee and the fact that Gough let the game go from the start.
“Gough let everything go early doors,” said Flynn.
“Players are going to realise that and get stuck in. I think James McCarthy was physical. I think a lot of lads were physical but he let it flow and that made for a good game.
“The hardest thing to do when you have so many players back is sometimes you can start being lazy. It was the opposite for Dublin.
“The energy of them even though they had extra players, they were getting that hand in, sprinting back, and then they came alive once they got the turnover to burst down the other end of the pitch to counter.”
Related links:
- Strange moment on The Sunday Game when Tomas O’Se disagrees with Player of the Year selection
- The GAA JOE All-Star Football Team of the year 2023
- Mick Fitzsimons altercation in pre-match warm-up highlights what a warrior he is
- James McCarthy and Dean Rock suggest they may bow out after All-Ireland glory
The GAA Hour: Marc Ó Sé chats Dublin vs. Kerry and shares some Páidí Ó Sé classics
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