'In my black book' - Dublin's John Small lifts lid on reaction to Eoghan McLaughlin incident

Former Dublin footballer John Small has lifted the lid on the iconic rivalry between Dublin and Mayo which defined a generation, in particular the furore surrounding his foul on Eoghan McLaughlin in 2021.

Small was at the epicentre of some titanic tussles as Jim Gavin's all-conquering Dublin side went toe-to-toe with the Green and Red in the pursuit of ultimate glory.

Now, weeks after the Ballymun Kickhams clubman pulled the curtain down on his career, he joined Colm Parkinson's 'Smaller Fish' podcast to reminisce on the iconic ties against the men from the West.

"You meet these fellas now and they're lovely guys, but I don't think the two teams really liked each other.

"There definitely wasn't the same rivalry with Kerry at the time.

"We felt Mayo were a little bit better, and they came close to beating us a lot of times. They were a really good team, and every time we played them, I always felt physically it was so demanding.

"Those games were so intense, on a different level. Most of the games we played I wouldn't actually be that sore, but every time we played them, you were drained.

"It was hits, they were physically well-conditioned to be able to hit, move, sprint. That's why it was a really physical game.

"Kerry was probably a bit more football, and we were physically a lot better than that team, whereas Mayo were able to match us in that department, so those games were the best games I've ever played in."

Small also moved to address the whirlwind reaction in the wake of his challenge on Eoghan McLaughlin in the All-Ireland semi-final in 2021, which left the Westport man with a fractured jaw.

Much was written in column inches and said on the airwaves and the screen in the wake of the tackle, and Small offered his perspective on the event.

"I messaged Eoghan McLaughlin after it and just made sure he was alright, and obviously said it was slightly mis-timed.

"He texted me back straight away and was like 'absolutely no issues, I would've done the same if it was roles reversed.'

"People don't see that stuff. It's a game, at the end of the day. But there are some people in my black book that would've went after me online.

"GAA people doing it really annoyed me, because they would have played it. Someone like Oisín McConville. He really went after me, and I do have that in the back of my head.

"I remember himself and Paul Flynn were debating it on 'The Second Captains'. Someone sent it to me, and it was like he wanted me to be Public Enemy.

"For a guy that's played to do that, it's not what I would do anyway."