Former Derry forward Joe Brolly has said there is no place in the game for ripping a mouthguard out of an opponent’s mouth after Tiernan McCann’s clash with Stephen McMenamin in Donegal’s win over Tyrone on Saturday.
McCann allegedly tried to force McMenamin’s mouthguard loose in Donegal’s four-point win over Tyrone in the Ulster GAA Football Senior Championship semi-final at Breffni Park.
Brolly was one of a string of pundits to condemn the incident and said there was no place for that type of behaviour in the sport.
“Sticking your finger into a player’s mouth and trying to rip out around his lips and his teeth, there’s no place for it in the game, proper action needs to be taken,” said Brolly on The Saturday Game.
Former Down footballer and Collingwood Mapgies defender Martin Clarke also criticised the action and added that the episode was very disappointing.
“It’s as far as you can go,” Clarke told the BBC. “I’ve never seen that in any code I’ve been involved in or spectated. Even to think to put your fingers where he did or stand on that area of your opponent. It’s just so disappointing. You hope it was a brain fade.”
Joe Brolly and Colm O'Rourke have their say on that second-half Tiernan McCann flashpoint #RTEgaa pic.twitter.com/AjcHAJK2UJ
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) June 8, 2019
