Dublin v Donegal, Croke Park 26/3/2016 7pm

[imtommygunn]

For what it's worth, I think we're a bit hyper-sensitive about the whole gouging thing.
On the rare occasion it does happen the perpetrator is usually someone who has form for nastiness.
McCarthy doesn't have that type of rep so I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt.
Looked to me like he was grabbing the Donegal lad around the face/chin and pushing his head back.
Don't think he was trying to make contact with his eye.
Super slow motion replays can make an act look much more deliberate and considered than it was in real time.

The reaction of the opposition is usually quite telling too and there wasn't one - or at least there didn't seem to be.

[Fuzzman]

Don't think he was trying to make contact with his eye.
Super slow motion replays can make an act look much more deliberate and considered than it was in real time.

So what he missed and got his eye? Did you watch the same video as the rest of us?
It's clear to see that he was at first using his whole hand on his face but then he moved his thumb clearly towards his eye socked and pushed it in. Can you see that Jinxy or not?

I'm not asking whether or not he MEANT it or what his previous behaviour was like. I am just saying can you not see that he definitely puts his thumb into his eye area and slow motion doesn't magically make that happen.

I too think McCarthy is a great player and rarely oversteps the mark but you have to look at each incident with an open view.

I totally understand the Dubs attitude that when you're at the top everyone is out to get you and teams try to provoke you into a reaction. Tyrone know all about this over the years so its only natural to want to sweep it under the carpet like Declan said and move on quickly as its been dealt with already.

[Jinxy]

His thumb ends up around the eye area alright but I don't see any response from the Donegal player that would indicate he is being gouged.
You tend to react quite viscerally when someone applies even slight pressure to your eye.
I've already said nobody has any business going near an opposition players face with their hands but I don't get the recently developed obsession some people have in the GAA to characterise incidents such as this as a 'gouge'.
He was sent off anyway.

[INDIANA]

You have to look at the positives Bluestack, allowing  Indiana to blow off all that pent up bombastic hot air, might mean a homeless person doesn't get their head kicked in tonight.

I've reported your post to the moderator. Absolutely disgraceful personalised comment.

You're lucky you're not getting a letter

[BluestackBoy]

You have to look at the positives Bluestack, allowing  Indiana to blow off all that pent up bombastic hot air, might mean a homeless person doesn't get their head kicked in tonight.

I've reported your post to the moderator. Absolutely disgraceful personalised comment.

You're lucky you're not getting a letter

My God Indiana, you are quite the cliche aren't you?

Yet another hard man who likes dishing it out but has a thin skin & can't take it.

Funny & sad at the same time, some achievement.

[INDIANA]

You have to look at the positives Bluestack, allowing  Indiana to blow off all that pent up bombastic hot air, might mean a homeless person doesn't get their head kicked in tonight.

I've reported your post to the moderator. Absolutely disgraceful personalised comment.

You're lucky you're not getting a letter

My God Indiana, you are quite the cliche aren't you?

Yet another hard man who likes dishing it out but has a thin skin & can't take it.

Funny & sad at the same time, some achievement.

Try and locate a post where I said someone would kick the head of  a homeless person?

Anyway the poster is from Monaghan you can't get any unluckier then that

[Fuzzman]

His thumb ends up around the eye area alright but I don't see any response from the Donegal player that would indicate he is being gouged.
You tend to react quite viscerally when someone applies even slight pressure to your eye.
I've already said nobody has any business going near an opposition players face with their hands but I don't get the recently developed obsession some people have in the GAA to characterise incidents such as this as a 'gouge'.
He was sent off anyway.

Can't believe I'm reading a Meath man almost defending this action from a Dub.
He got a 2nd yellow which means he gets no suspension whatsoever
You can see McElhinney reacts by pushing away McCarthy's arm before any more pressure is applied to the eye

Some might wonder why am I still going on about this but it just highlights to me of the imbalance the CCCC appear to have with how some incidents are dealt with.
How does Neil McGee and Fermanagh's Sean Quigley get one match bans for their actions using video evidence yet McCarthy does not.
Whilst the video cannot show the pressure applied to the eye area and so some might try to argue it was not a "gouge" there is definitely enough evidence to show that McCarthy meant to push his thumb into his eye and so should result in a ban.

If this happened in a Donegal v Monaghan Ulster final would the CCCC also say no ban necessary. So why is it one law for some counties and another law for others?

I'm sure loads will say that's a typical anti Northern cry but the fact remains that McCarthy will not get any suspension for sticking his thumb in an opponent's eye.

[Jinxy]

His thumb ends up around the eye area alright but I don't see any response from the Donegal player that would indicate he is being gouged.
You tend to react quite viscerally when someone applies even slight pressure to your eye.
I've already said nobody has any business going near an opposition players face with their hands but I don't get the recently developed obsession some people have in the GAA to characterise incidents such as this as a 'gouge'.
He was sent off anyway.

Can't believe I'm reading a Meath man almost defending this action from a Dub.
He got a 2nd yellow which means he gets no suspension whatsoever
You can see McElhinney reacts by pushing away McCarthy's arm before any more pressure is applied to the eye

Some might wonder why am I still going on about this but it just highlights to me of the imbalance the CCCC appear to have with how some incidents are dealt with.
How does Neil McGee and Fermanagh's Sean Quigley get one match bans for their actions using video evidence yet McCarthy does not.
Whilst the video cannot show the pressure applied to the eye area and so some might try to argue it was not a "gouge" there is definitely enough evidence to show that McCarthy meant to push his thumb into his eye and so should result in a ban.

If this happened in a Donegal v Monaghan Ulster final would the CCCC also say no ban necessary. So why is it one law for some counties and another law for others?

I'm sure loads will say that's a typical anti Northern cry but the fact remains that McCarthy will not get any suspension for sticking his thumb in an opponent's eye.

There obviously isn't though.