Cavan boss: Maybe Dublin is a team the GAA want to win

Cavan manager Peter Reilly was extremely unhappy in the wake of his side's slender loss to Dublin in this evening's Cadbury Under 21 Football Semi-Final in Portlaoise.

Cavan boss: Maybe Dublin is a team the GAA want to win

Cavan manager Peter Reilly was extremely unhappy in the wake of his side's slender loss to Dublin in this evening's Cadbury Under 21 Football Semi-Final in Portlaoise.

In the end the Breffni County missed out, following a late Cormac Costello winner for Dublin, but Reilly felt there were a number of factors which went against his side.

"From our perspective we wouldn't be happy at all," Reilly said after the game.

"There was a free in the top right-corner when Tom Hayes got a knee in the back and there was no free given, and Dublin came down the field and got a point.

"Another thing hurting us is when Conor McHugh got a yellow card. It was a definite black card with us, and he scored the equaliser.

"They get an advantage then in front of the goals. We got one in the first half which went wide and the referee put his hand out.

"The referee made a couple of decisions we weren't happy with. There's lots of things today we wouldn't be happy with.

"Maybe Dublin is a team they want to win and that Cavan is too small for the GAA. We are not happy at all."

Reilly was also unhappy that Dublin were playing their third game in succession in Portlaoise.

"Why is the game in Portlaoise today? The provincial final and the semi-final were both here. It's suits Dublin.

"Dublin play all of their National League games in Croke Park and their Championship games there - is it all about Dublin?

"We are not happy today with lots of things. We objected last week to this game being in Portlaoise and we got a very short letter back from Croke Park - 'it's fixed, good luck to you'.

"Probably Cavan is a small entity in GAA terms, and decisions are being made in Croke Park in recent weeks in commercial activity. Maybe we aren't commercial enough for them."

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