“That is pure, total, and utter dung, that’s what that is.”
THAT John Small tackle on Eoghan McLaughlin appears to have broken Twittersphere in the same manner that Kim Kardashian’s backside once did.
Everyone is completely split down the middle about it. Was it a red? Was it on purpose? Should the referee have stopped play?
It has sparked debate after debate in the week that followed, and it’s only natural that this sort of friction between opinions will eventually create a fire.
Oisin McConville has took his punditry to a whole new level this year, finding his groove as the blunt, frank and honest point of view, not afraid to upset people with his opinions.
One person he did upset, was former Dublin star Paul Flynn, who was speaking on The Second Captain’s podcast, alongside the Crossmaglen man.
It didn’t take long for the conversation to to get heated.
Flynn: That was a hospital pass, and they’re called hospital passes for a reason. It was a blindside hit and John was obviously 100% within his right to go for the shoulder-to-shoulder. He mistimed it absolutely, red card. But the way he’s been abused online, in my eyes, has been appalling. Some of the pundits, Oisin included on The Sunday Game, haven’t really helped the situation.
Oisin: In what respect Paul? What did I say on The Sunday Gamethat was bad? I said it was a mistimed challenge, but it’s a sending off.
Flynn: You said it was shocking.
Oisin: Yeah, it was! I said the result of the tackle was shocking.
Flynn: I totally agree with-
Oisin: Yeah, well, how has that not helped? What do you want me to say, “it was a great challenge”? “He timed the shoulder perfectly”? I don’t get that, I don’t get any of what you’re saying. I get the online abuse – I don’t know what goes on online but I’m pretty sure it’s horrendous. When John Small sized Eoin McLaughlin up to hit him with a fair shoulder – he didn’t, and the duty of care is on John Small.
Let’s take John Small for a second: see that incident there, yes he should have gotten a red card, but that was a genuine attempt to get a shoulder in. When he hit Ryan O’Donoghue a punch in the stomach in the corner of the field – that wasn’t genuine. When McCarthy hit O’Connor, that’s not genuine. You think that people shouldn’t report on that? “Anti-Dublin bias”? Anti-Dublin bias is the biggest load of bollocks, that is pure, total, and utter dung, that’s what that is.
