Dublin manager Jim Gavin says he was ‘shocked’ when he saw referee Jerome Henry show Paul Mannion a red card - and he compared it to the punishment given for a challenge which broke Paddy Andrews’ jaw in March.

Mannion was given his marching orders for a frontal challenge on Louth’s Conal McKeever 24 minutes into the Dubs’ 26-point win over the Wee County in their Leinster quarter-final at O’Moore Park on Saturday night.

Andrews suffered a broken jaw in the Allianz League defeat to Tyrone at Croke Park earlier in the season - a challenge that only brought Red Hand County keeper Niall Morgan a yellow card.

"My initial response was I thought it was very harsh," said Gavin, talking about Mannion’s dismissal as the Dubs kick-started their drive for five.

"Paul is a big man, six-foot-two, he didn’t drive into the tackle, I thought he more or less stood up and he certainly got the ball. He made contact with the Louth player, but I thought at worst it would have been a yellow card.

Andrews suffered a broken jaw back in March

"I was really shocked to see him sent off. The Louth player got up and played on, unlike Paddy Andrews back in March when he got a broken jaw. Two contrasting tackles."

Dublin welcomed Rory O’Carroll back onto to the field for the first time since the 2015 All-Ireland final win over Mayo.

The Kilmacud Crokes full-back left the panel and the country, moving to New Zealand for three years, but he was drafted back into the squad following the most recent league campaign after he returned to Ireland.

"Rory did well," noted Gavin, who sent O’Carroll into the action as a replacement for Jack McCaffrey in the full-back line after 46 minutes.

"The way he played is what we are seeing in training. He’s applied himself really well, he’s in the squad because of his form with Kilmacud Crokes so we’re glad to have him back."