Before getting to the fallout from referee Cormac Reilly indicating to Cork's Colm O'Neill that there was a minute still to play and then blowing up for full-time, there is another incident to report.
In victory Mayo manager James Horan took the opportunity to brand comments made by Cork football selector Ronan McCarthy as "disgraceful". He accused the Cork management of questioning the integrity of two Mayo footballers, Cillian O'Connor and Kevin McLoughlin.
In defeat Brian Cuthbert refused to comment. They had just walked past each other in the corridor under the Hogan stand. There was no handshake after the game. Cuthbert put his hand out, Horan refused to take it.
This goes back to McCarthy stating that O’Connor and McLoughlin regularly commit tactical fouls that largely go unnoticed. That’s what he said. Horan felt the need to respond.
“Our character was challenged in the lead up to this game by the Cork management, which I think is unprecedented in Gaelic football where a management team name players. For us it was taking the integrity of two of our players and of our team – I think that’s something that’s disgraceful and they should be ashamed of what they’ve done.
‘Victory sweeter’
“Does that make victory sweeter for us? It probably does. I just think it’s a new low when you have opposition management naming specific players and taking their integrity and their good name.
“We coach and we try and play as well as we can within the rules of the game . . . They’ll face the Cork public after that. We’re happy where we are.
“I mentioned Joe McQuillan before because he had reffed A versus B games for Dublin. All I was looking for was fairness. But to target players character and the team character, I think it’s just disgraceful. That’s my opinion.”
We rung the topic dry. “We contacted them out there today. That’s where we do our stuff. It’s not right, I know it’s not right. For Ronan McCarthy to come out and say that I think is completely wrong. It’s a dangerous area if management can say anything they want about anyone, not knowing anything about them or their values or how we try to play as a team.
“We are the ones who try and play attacking-based football, open and free flowing. We are not the ones putting everyone behind the ball.
“I just found it particularly poor reflection on the Cork management.”
An enthralling tactical tussle has been overshadowed by all this. It almost made us forget the time-keeping of Reilly. Almost. The two minutes of added time had been played. Cork trailed by two points.
O'Neill spoke to Reilly then popped a free over the bar. Rob Hennelly kicked out the ball and Reilly ended the game before it fell from the sky.
The Cork players surrounded him but it didn’t matter. The game was gone. “I remember a situation last year that was something similar in an All-Ireland final,” said Horan of O’Connor’s late point in very similar circumstances.
Cuthbert walked into the media room, exhaled heavily and slammed his kit bag on the floor. “I saw him having a conversation with the referee, the same as everyone in this room did, he put the ball down, stroked it over the bar,” said Cork’s rookie manager.
“Colm is a very intelligent guy so I presume whatever conversation he had with the referee he deducted that there was time for a kick out. As far as they were aware there was a minute left.”
There was another incident involving O’Neill. It looked like he was denied a goal when fouled by Ger Cafferkey. No free. Play on.
“We’re certainly not looking at the referee for why we are not going on to the semi-final,” said Cuthbert. “We just gave ourselves too much of a hill to climb after half-time.”
Just to complete the circle, Cuthbert was asked about McCarthy’s comments that so incensed Horan.
“I’m not going to comment on that. The match is over. It’s finished.”
