Don’t blame the rules, blame the referee.
Donegal were relegated from Division One in April because the referee failed to implement a very fundamental four-step rule.
Kevin McLoughlin took 13 steps as he ran by Eoghan Bán Gallagher – untouched – to go and kick the equalising score that rescued Mayo and relegated Donegal with less than 30 seconds left of injury time.
Anthony Nolan missed the fact McLoughlin used four steps to initially turn the defender and then ran in a straight line with nine more steps without a hop or a solo or even a tackle or traffic to make it look a bit more messy.
13 steps, amazing right-footed effort, Donegal relegated from the national league and nothing they can do about it.
Kevin McLoughlin with the crucial point to leave the sides even as the ref blows the whistle pic.twitter.com/Rrj6zuSmCN
— The GAA (@officialgaa) March 25, 2018
On Sunday, Donegal were eliminated from the All-Ireland senior football championship and denied a place in the semi-final for the first time since 2014 and they’ll look back to a moment that Joe McQuillan ignored, one which might’ve defined the game and taken it in a different direction.
In the 47th minute, Donegal led by three and Jamie Brennan was just about to put four between them in an attack launched by who else but Ryan McHugh.
During that attack though, McHugh was dragged to the ground by Colm Cavanagh after popping the ball off. It was both a third man tackle and a deliberate pull down. Joe McQuillan was stood a few feet away, unobstructed, and he watched it all unfold before him.
Colm Cavanagh was already on a yellow card so a black would’ve seen him sent off and unable to be replaced.
McQuillan? He completely ignored it.
The referee keeps his eye on the event for the duration of it.
McHugh and Cavanagh come together and the Tyrone man has his hands around him as the play continues. McQuillan seems to stop to get a better look.
McHugh is brought to ground.
McQuillan is watching.
McQuillan is watching.
McQuillan is still watching as Donegal carry on the attack without their best player against this defence.
Even Dessie Dolan spotted it.
On co-commetary at Ballybofey, he said straight away, “Cavanagh could be in bother here”. Darragh Maloney rightly assumed the ref would come back and have a word with the Tyrone man once Jamie Brennan kicked his point.
But, as Donegal went four to the good at 1-10 to 0-9 with 23 minutes remaining, Tyrone were not reduced to 14 men and they didn’t lose their man of the match, the man who was so colossal and so good throughout the entirety of the game, particularly in the second period.
McQuillan was watching but he didn’t deem the incident worthy of even a word with the two lads.
He even seems to point at the pair of them as they’re on the ground and he whizzes by.
Thank God he was there to oversee it.
On the highlights show on Sunday night, Sean Cavanagh was coy about what happened. “Colm collides with him… let’s say.”
Des Cahill laughed.
Joe McQuillan watched.
Donegal got put out of the All-Ireland championship.
