Jim Gavin says he expects his players "to look after themselves" and remained unfazed by Diarmuid Connolly's involvement with Westmeath's James Dolan in the first half of today's Leinster final.
After a tackle between the two players, Dolan ruffled Connolly's hair and Connolly took exception to this contact. He caught up with Dolan and put him in a headlock before taking him to ground. Westmeath players were involved straight away and both Dolan and Connolly were given yellow cards.
Speaking to Newstalk Sport's Oisin Langan after the game, Dublin boss Gavin insisted that he wasn't disappointed with Connolly's reaction.
"He shipped a bit of punishment off the number seven [Dolan] before that and the opposition number sven raised his hand and made contact with his head. We expect our payers to look after themselves, it was a contact sport. I thought the game was officiated very well.
"It wasn't for the first bit of contact that was made by Diarmuid in the first half. He shipped quite a lot going into that and it's up to the officials to spot that. But it's a very dynamic game we paly and I think both players receiving yellows was the right call.
"It was by no means a nasty or malicious affair, I thought both teams played in the full spirit of championship football with a trophy at stake and both teams going hard at it... We always expect our players to look after themselves. I think his reaction was balanced."
Diarmuid Connolly received special treatment off some of the Westmeath team this evening. Image: ©INPHO/Tommy Grealy
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
