Footage has emerged of Dublin forward Cormac Costello interfering with Mayo goalkeeper David Clarke’s kicking tees three times before Clarke’s last kick-out in Sunday’s dramatic All-Ireland final.
The video, taken from high behind Clarke’s goal, shows Costello first pick up one of Clarke’s tees and throw it away. He then makes his way to one of Clarke’s goalposts to kick away another tee, before crossing to his other post to fling away a third tee, which Clarke attempts to retrieve.
Clarke eventually sent the kick-out over the sideline and Mayo never managed to regain possession.
In another example of the gamesmanship that took place late in the final Mayo’s Lee Keegan was seen moments before throwing his GPS unit at Dean Rock before he landed the free that won the game.
Ciaran Kilkenny was also black-carded for pinning down Keegan before the final kickout and several other Dublin players were wrestling with their men before the restart.
Asked after the game about the cynicism and wrestling on both sides in the final moments, Dublin manager Jim Gavin said: “I think it was like that from the start of the game. A very physical game. Lot on the line. Both teams going hard at it. I wouldn’t expect anything else from either team.
“There’s a lot on the line. A lot at stake. It was happening at both ends. We always go after the performance piece, you’ll never get that right in the game.
"You need to take these blows; They either go for you or against you. We’re always trying to do the right thing. Do we do the right thing always? Absolutely not. We don’t get it right all the time.
“But once the boys have that jersey on, they’re playing for Dublin as best they can, in the best way.”
Former Dublin star Charlie Redmond has claimed that Keegan’s attempt to distract Rock was “a new low for football.”
“What would have happened if it was a Dublin player who threw it at Cillian O’Connor?” he told the Evening Herald. “Can you imagine the reaction in the media and GAA circles if it was Diarmuid Connolly?”