Sean Cavanagh felt Jim Gavin was at fault in the All-Ireland final for continuing to allow Jonny Cooper mark David Clifford when the Dublin defender was clearly struggling against the Kerry forward.
Cooper was sent off shortly before half-time after picking up two yellow cards. The cards were issued for persistent fouling on Clifford.
"I've been there with David Gough in an All-Ireland quarter-final a few years ago," said Cavanagh on The Sunday Game.
I was walking the same thin line that Jonny Cooper was. David warned me, 'Look, Sean, any more fouling and you're going to go'. I made a clumsy tackle on Aidan O'Shea and was sent-off.
I think it was bad management from Jim Gavin that he didn't recognise Cooper was walking that line - Clifford was getting the better of him. It's unlike Jim Gavin. John Small was in the same boat. I suspect Gough had warned Cooper.
It was a game peppered with moments not usually expected from Dublin, a side which generally leaves so little to chance. Along with not taking action with Cooper already on a yellow, Dublin made poor shot selections in search of an equaliser late in the game.
"We were waiting for the day where Dublin would be below par, a refereeing decision was going to go against them and another team were going to raise their game," said Cavanagh.
"For long periods, we got that. You have to give credit to Dublin when they went down to 14 and even for long periods at the end they were dominant even though some of their big guns weren't firing. They still showed resilience and game management that led you to believe they were at least going to get the draw out of it.
"It feels strange saying this but I actually think Jim Gavin has more homework to do in the next two weeks than Kerry do.
"Being in there today and watching Cooper struggle, watching John Small under pressure - we all wondered whether Kerry's attack would take down Dublin defence - but he didn't seem to trust Philly McMahon, we were waiting on Cian O'Sullivan.
"He was slow to make changes, does that tell you he doesn't trust those guys to go in against some of those Kerry attackers?"
'Jim Gavin has more homework to do' @SeanCavanagh14 #AllIrelandFinal2019 #rtegaa pic.twitter.com/dB2Shrtvy7
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) September 1, 2019
Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
