John Cleary voices frustration at 'very harsh' call as Colm O'Callaghan ban upheld

Cork manager John Cleary has admitted his disappointment after Colm O’Callaghan’s red card in the All-Ireland SFC Round 1 win over Meath was upheld.

The Rebels boss described the decision as “very harsh” and one that leaves the Éire Óg man suspended for Saturday’s Round 2A trip to Ballybofey to face Donegal, with throw-in at 3pm.

O’Callaghan was dismissed late in the Páirc Uí Rinn victory and Cork requested a hearing, but Cleary said the group had braced themselves for an uphill battle.

“We are very disappointed, you know,” he said to The Echo on Tuesday evening.

“The general feeling was it was very harsh, and we thought we might have a chance in the appeal, but look, it didn’t go there. It was upheld, and that’s it. We just have to accept it now and move on.

“As I said, we did think it was harsh — very harsh — but obviously the referee and the hearings committee thought otherwise. We’re disappointed, but there’s nothing we can do about it, only move on. Colm has just a one-match ban, so he’ll be available after Donegal.” 

The injury situation remains mixed ahead of the journey to Donegal, with some welcome returns but also fresh concerns.

Matty Taylor is out for the season after the cruciate injury he suffered with Mallow, while several others are being monitored closely ahead of the weekend.

“Dara Sheedy is back in training,” Cleary confirmed.

“We’ll see how the week goes with him. Brian Hurley is back in training similarly.

“David Buckley got a knock there at the weekend, and we’ll just see how the week goes and make a call later on whether he will make it.

“Seán Brady won’t make the weekend and Darragh Cashman picked up a knock, so he’s doubtful.” 

The stop–start nature of Cork’s injury fortunes has been a theme across the season, and Cleary acknowledged the frustration.

“It is frustrating. Every county is getting injuries and we’re no different. We had a great patch during the league where we nearly had a full squad to pick from, and it’s just maybe in the last few weeks that we’ve been a bit unlucky.

“Guys are playing and training hard every week. It’s very intense, and the games now are 70 and nearly 80 minutes when you take in when the clock has stopped, so injuries are going to happen.

“That’s what you have a squad for. For the lads themselves it’s disappointing, but we’re no different to any other county in that regard.” 

One major positive for Cork has been the rare luxury of a three-week break between championship games — the first such window since the season began.

“Without a doubt it was welcome,” Cleary says.

“It’s been very intense since the start of the year, and this was the first three-week break we had. It was nice to step back a small bit, look back on where we’ve come from, and look forward to the rest of the season.

“It is very rare to have such a break. It gives guys a chance to look after knocks and bruises. Some teams only had the two-week break, so we were thankful for the three-week break.”