Kerry Legend Ó Sé Criticizes Players for Reaction to Michael Murphy Punch in NFL Final

Former Kerry star Darragh Ó Sé has strongly criticised the Kerry players for their lack of reaction after Michael Murphy struck Dylan Casey in the National Football League Division 1 final between Kerry and Donegal last month.

Ó Sé wrote in his Irish Times column that if he had been one of Casey’s teammates, he would not have wanted to hear complaints about the referee or disciplinary processes, but would instead have been looking to respond on the pitch.

He stated that Murphy should have been dealt with immediately after the punch, adding that “a box in the jaw is a box in the jaw and you can’t be a team who lets that slide.”

Ó Sé acknowledged Murphy’s standing as a great footballer but insisted that the Kerry players needed to remind him of the consequences, even if it meant one of them receiving a card.

The incident occurred during Donegal’s victory in the league final, where Murphy was only shown a yellow card for the strike on Casey despite widespread belief that a red card was warranted.

While much of the public criticism was directed at Murphy, referee David Gough, and linesman Conor Lane for not sending him off, Ó Sé redirected focus onto the Kerry players for failing to respond during the remainder of the game.

He argued that the Kerry team let themselves down by not addressing the situation there and then, suggesting that internal accountability should have taken precedence over external debates about officiating or disciplinary committees.

As a six-time All-Ireland winner who played alongside his brothers Tómas and Marc in the renowned Kerry side of the 2000s, Ó Sé suggested that such a response would have been expected under his watch.

The Kerry boys should have ‘dealt with’ Murphy after the Casey hit, Ó Sé concluded, reinforcing his view that the team missed an opportunity to uphold standards on the field.