PAT SPILLANE and Sean Cavanagh agreed that Donegal captain Michael Murphy was rightly punished after he was sent off in the first half of their clash with Tyrone.
Murphy was sent off in the 33rd minute after he received a black card for kicking out on Kieran McGeary having already been yellow-carded earlier in the game.
Talking on The Sunday Game, Tyrone legend Cavanagh hinted that Murphy’s recent injury may have him lacking sharpness.
He said: “I think the yellow card was right in the first incident, it was a high challenge.
“The second one for me… it probably should be finished before it gets to him but that little bit of sharpness that he maybe lacks from the hamstring injury.
“You can see… Michael Murphy ordinarily doesn’t fumble this ball when it comes to him.
“He fumbled it, Keiren McGreagy who is having an absolute brilliant game got in front of him.
“Look Michael knew, you can see it in his face, he knew the issue and he knew he was gone.”
Spillane believes that Murphy deserved his sending off even though he doesn’t think it was deliberate.
He said: “He got a black card for that, black card is for deliberate. That was not deliberate.
“But was it dangerous? Yes. Was it a yellow card? Yes. Did Michael Murphy deserve to be sent off? Yes.”
Cavanagh stated that a trip will always get you a yellow card.
He said: “It was a trip whether it was deliberate, it was a trip. And I think if it wasn’t a trip it was going to be a yellow card anyways.”
The Donegal man had a few minutes to forget as he hit a penalty wide moments before his afternoon was cut short.
GUT FEELING
Cavanagh revealed he didn’t think Murphy was going to covert the penalty after it was awarded.
“I’ve played the game I know a number of years ago where he missed, Niall saved a really good penalty from Michael Murphy
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“And I think Michael got a black card for fouling Niall after that. And it was in my head that Michael would’ve known that and would’ve maybe tried to force that.
“And as an attacker, somebody striking a ball, whenever you’re trying to strike it maybe that little bit maybe outside your comfort zone you have a tendency maybe to scuff it.
“It didn’t look to me like he struck the ball well.”