RTE pundit Sean Cavanagh slams Joe McQuillan's decision to send off Conor McKenna as 'disgraceful'

Sean Cavanagh didn't pull any punches in his assessment of how Joe McQuillan handled the melee between Tyrone and Fermanagh in Saturday's Ulster Championship opener at Brewster Park.

The Red Hand legend claimed it was a 'disgraceful decision' to single Conor McKenna out for a red card when several Fermanagh players also played prominent roles in the ugly scenes.

Tyrone won 2-17 to 2-10 to progress to a quarter-final date with Derry on May 1, but afterwards Cavanagh addressed the official's handling of the late altercation.

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He said: "I thought it was a disgraceful decision. I think there was a lot of things wrong here.

"The ball goes in and Conn Kilpatrick catches it - yeah it wasn't a mark. I think Joe McQuillan could have helped him out and told him it wasn't a mark quicker.

"I think he maybe was fouled and then the craic starts and there's the wrestling match starts.

"We see James McMahon with his hand in Conn's face. Not a nice place to be and didn't look like a natural place to be either.

"Conor McKenna sees that and gets involved. He sees his teammate has just been fouled badly on the ground and there's players around him."

At that stage Colm O'Rourke interjected to agree that McKenna was only doing what any other player would in trying to back up a teammate when he's in a vulnerable position and outnumbered by opponents.

The Meath native also suggested three Ernesiders might also have been sent off going by the 'contributing to a melee' line in the rulebook.

An incredulous Cavanagh then asked what McKenna did to get sent off only for O'Rourke to point out that he had rugby tackled someone and dumped them on the ground which was