Yahoo News Gareth McKinless: GAAGO pundits blast red card incident as Derry defender faces two-game ban
Derry defender Gareth McKinless looks set to miss the remainder of the group stages following his red card in Saturday’s Group One loss to Galway in Pearse Stadium.
The Ballinderry clubman appeared to stand on Damien Comer’s leg after 20 minutes with Brendan Cawley left with little option but to brandish a straight red.
The Oak Leafers went on to lose the game by five points and face beaten Ulster champions Armagh in their next game at Celtic Park on the weekend of June 1/2.
Read more: Recap as Galway claim impressive five-point win over 14-man Derry in All-Ireland SFC opener
With Padraig McGrogan out for the season with a cruciate knee injury, Derry’s defensive depth was stretched with Eoin McEvoy and Conor Doherty also ruled out of Saturday’s game in Salthill.
McKinless would face a minimum two-game ban if cited for a category four offence of stamping, potentially ruling him out of the clash with Armagh and the subsequent clash with Westmeath at a neutral venue.
Speaking at half-time during GAAGO’s coverage of the game, Marc Ó Se and Paddy Andrews hit out at Derry’s perceived lack of discipline.
“Damien Comer doesn't go down unless there's something wrong with him,” said Ó Se.
“There is a free, a definite free and then this clinical. . . there's no place for this in the game. It's shocking.
“It was noticeable - (Ciaran) McFaul put in a dirty challenge, Chrissy McKaigue put in one - there's a bit of indiscipline to this Derry team.”
Andrews added: “The position Derry have been in for the last four weeks, the work they would have put in for this performance.
“Gareth McKinless is a massive player, an All-Star for them. If you're Mickey Harte, if you're a teammate, Gareth McKinless is going to feel awful himself, he has put Derry in a terrible position. There's no excuse for it. It's a stonewall red card. You would be fuming.”
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