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19th May 2024
11:23am BST
Former RTÉ pundit Joe Brolly says he 'can only apologise on behalf of the Derry GAA community' after Gareth McKinless was dismissed for a 'shocking' stamp on Galway's Damien Comer in yesterday's All Ireland Football Championship fixture.
McKinless left a sneaky stamp on the ankle of Comer moments after fouling the Galway forward in the 21st minute.
Following a consultation with the linesman, Mickey Harte's men were reduced to fourteen men and the disadvantage showed as they went on to lose 2-14 to 0-15.
It was the second half when the man advantage really took its toll as Sean Kelly and Daniel O'Flaherty knocked in goals for the Tribesmen in front of a delighted Salthill crowd.
Writing in his Irish Independent column, Brolly this morning expressed his total disgust at both the incident and the overall Derry performance.
'The indiscipline, which is a by-product of not believing, was shocking,' wrote Brolly.
'In the 21st minute, Gareth McKinless was sent off for stamping on Damien Comer’s ankle off the ball. It was a shocking and outrageous act which made me ashamed to be a Derry man.
'Gareth was sent off and after soldiering on for as long as he could, Comer eventually had to limp off the field in the 45th minute.
'I can only apologise on behalf of the Derry GAA community.'
A long-time critic of Derry boss Harte, Brolly elaborated to voice his dismay at Derry's total lack of 'guidance or structure' for the second consecutive game.
Last time out, it was Donegal who got the better of Derry in a 4-11 to 0-17 Ulster quarter-final triumph which saw Jim McGuinness tactically outsmart his old rival.
But at least Brolly can't say he is surprised at Harte's shortcomings in the Derry hotseat.
He did, after all, react to the former Tyrone manager's appointment by tweeting 'This is the worst thing to happen to Derry since the plantation'.
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