Bradley and McCann dismissals frustrate Harte
February 12, 2017
Tyrone manager Mickey Harte.
©INPHO/Presseye.
Mickey Harte felt Mark Bradley and Tiernan McCann were unlucky to receive red and black cards respectively in last night's draw with Dublin.
Bradley was sent off following an off-the-ball incident involving Jonny Cooper with 10 minutes to go, while McCann was black-carded in the first half of the exciting Croke Park encounter.
"The sending off obviously didn't help us, it's hard enough to play them with 15 men, with 14 it's just that bit harder," the Tyrone manager said.
"It certainly didn't help our cause and it left us a bit vulnerable on their counter attack where we didn't have the luxury of being able to play a sweeper.
"I don't think Mark Bradley would be the kind of guy who would start incidents like that either. He got the wrong end of the stick, I feel, because there was a bit of a schemozzle, or whatever you want to call it, and I don't think what he did was a sending off offence.
"I don't think he would be starting anything because it wouldn't be in his interest to do that but it happened and somebody in their wisdom decided what to do with it and we have to live with it now."
McCann's black card prompted Harte to voice his dislike for the rule once again.
"I don't make much of the black card ever. It is so inconsistently administered that it is frustrating.
"To think that Tiernan McCann got one tonight and I saw other events on that pitch which were, in my eyes, worse than what he did. So it is the consistency or inconsistency of the application of it that frustrates me and frustrates the players. We have to live with it."
Speaking to eir Sport, he also hailed Dublin's resilience after they came from four points down to snatch a draw and extend their unbeaten run to 31 games.
"They're the champions. The league champions. The All-Ireland champions," he pointed out.
"They take some beating and we did our best to do it tonight and we didn't quite succeed. You have to hand it to Dublin. They're a wonderful side and that's why they've won so much over the last number of years."
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