Former inter-county GAA referee Maurice Deegan felt the awarding of a free to Kerry for a foul on Stephen O'Brien late in their All-Ireland semi-final against Derry on Sunday was "a little bit soft".
Referee Joe McQuillan gave Kerry a free in the 66th, for what he deemed to be a foul by Gareth McKinless, with the All-Ireland champions trailing Derry by two points. Sean O'Shea kicked a point from the placed ball. It was Kerry's first score in 17 minutes.
That was the beginning of a crucial two minutes for Kerry - who went on to win the game by two points - as shortly after O'Shea's score, David Clifford was fouled and he kicked a free to level the match.
16 July 2023; Referee Joe McQuillan during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Semi-Final match between Derry and Kerry at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
"That free he was correct, he'd given the advantage," Deegan said regarding the foul on Clifford on the BBC's coverage of the game, before adding, "The one previous to that was probably a little bit soft, to be fair. I actually agree with Philly (McMahon) for a change."
Former Dublin footballer McMahon, who was on co-commentary for BBC, also felt a free should not have been awarded, as did Kerry great Tomás Ó Sé who addressed the moment on The Sunday Game.
"One that really stood out in the second half was the Stephen O'Brien one," 2002 Armagh All-Ireland winner Oisin McConville told the BBC's The GAA Social podcast.
"It wasn't soft, it was the wrong decision. We're not here criticising refs. All weekend, I think we got a real indication of how difficult it is to do that. Difficult or not, that's a massive decision in the game. That was probably the one you could say definitively wrong. The other ones, there's a discussion to be had there.
1 October 2016; Referee Maurice Deegan awards a penalty kick to Dublin after Mayo goalkeeper Rob Hennelly was adjudged to have fouled Paddy Andrews, left, Dublin during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Final Replay match between Dublin and Mayo at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by David Maher/Sportsfile
"Still, take away that and Derry went from looking really comfortable... Their efficiency in the first half was off the charts. They were 80 per cent efficiency.
"That went down to 50 per cent at the end of the game. That gives you an indication of just how many chances they did have. They had a lot of fairly simple chances. The wrong option was taken at times.
"I'd be harsher on Derry [than on Monaghan] because they looked ready today. They didn't look ready last year, and sometimes that has to happen. Derry looked today as if they were primed, a team that were ready to take that next step. It feels as if they had taken the next step, but couldn't see it out."
It's such a huge decision. Can't emphasise enough that it's not just the free itself but the knock-on consequences of it. Kerry hadn't been able to stop Derry getting their kickouts away all day. O'Shea took 35 seconds over the free, gave them time to get pressed right up. pic.twitter.com/SPdzIMjmWD
— Cahair O'Kane (@CahairOKane1) July 16, 2023
See Also: Tomás Ó Sé Feels 'Off The Ball Stuff' Had Big Impact In Kerry Win Over Derry
