'It's a very grey area' - Sallins manager questions decision which cost them an All-Ireland final spot

“We’re devastated. A couple of big moments just didn’t go our way and at this level you have to win the big moments and we just didn’t get them, they were game-deciding. In fairness, the lads were brilliant, they were excellent all day. They were four down, they found a way to get back level in normal time and took control of the game in extra-time. Had a chance to go two up in extra-time near the end and actually won the kickout, won the break and I just think that it’s a very grey area that turnover. But look, it is small margins at this level and it was always going to be coming down today and we are obviously on the wrong side of it and we are devastated,” the words of Sallins manager Jonathan Daniels after his side’s last gasp defeat to An Ghaeltacht in the AIB Football All-Ireland Intermediate Club Championship.

The emotion in the voice of the Sallins boss was evident as he spoke only a few minutes after their heartbreaking last gasp defeat. A key point of the discussion was of course the last play that sent Sallins out where centre-back Darren Keane fired wide from close-range with just one minute to go. When possession seemed key above all else, Keane was presented with a huge chance and decided to take aim, but pulled his effort wide at the near post. Daragh Mangan won the resulting kickout, Emmet Ralph picked up the break before being called for overcarrying. The discussion begins with the subsequent free being brought forward 50m and into the dangerzone for delaying the restart and not giving possession back to An Ghaletacht. The free landed just a couple of strides inside the arc and Éanna Ó Conchúir opted for a two-point effort and converted it brilliantly to win the game for the Kerry side.

Daniels added, “There is a grey area in it (the rule), when you are on the ground and you are done for overcarrying, how are you supposed to hand it back when you are on your knees on the ground? and that is the grey area. Look, we had a chance to go two up and probably should have taken it and we didn’t. It was always going to be small margins, especially going into extra-time, there was only going to be two or three scores to get a team over the line.

“Our lads were excellent all day. We started well and then had a flat patch and then sort of let them get ahead and reeled them back in. We struggled with breaks in the first half and struggled to get our hands on the ball, but when we did that we got a foothold in the game. We are just hugely disappointed.”

The counterpoint to Sallins' grievances is of course their uncalled violation of the 3v3 rule with the An Ghaeltacht in possession at the end of normal time. Play moved on and, after winning the ball back, Sallins got their final chance at parity and took it. It was a bizarre oversight from the referee in the moment, who it would be hard to imagine wasn’t informed about the violation at some stage by his sideline official, who was being berated by the full contingent of furious An Ghaeltacht staff.

An Ghaeltacht's own displeasure at refereeing decisions aside, it was an agonising way to lose the game for Sallins, who have been superb over the last few months and given their club and county so much. After some deserved rest, they will tackle Division 1 and the Kildare Senior Championship in 2026.

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