![Mitchell O'Keefe has apologised "profusely" over his shock finals goal. Picture by Zac Lowe Mitchell O'Keefe has apologised "profusely" over his shock finals goal. Picture by Zac Lowe](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/KUhQizDbwW8WqAyPP4x5yp/56e5e86f-a4c7-4a9e-b5c8-080acbb2e783.jpg/r0_0_1619_1848_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The head of Northern Inland Football, OVA veteran Mitchell O'Keefe, has attributed his "poor sportsmanship" in the major semi-final against Moore Creek to a "brain fart".
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
O'Keefe's decision to quickly slot the ball into an empty net, after Moore Creek goalie and coach Dean Hoy was penalised for handling the ball outside the penalty box, has soured OVA 's 2-0 win at Riverside on Saturday.
In a text message to the Leader, O'Keefe said Hoy was "100% correct that it was poor sportsmanship".
O'Keefe said: "I had a brain-fart moment of taking a quick free kick and in the rush of the moment I didn't register that Dean passed me the ball."
O'Keefe said that it was not until Moore Creek captain Ryan Davidson "said something" to him that he "realised how much" he had "personally messed up".
"I spent the rest of the game apologising to every single player profusely and I didn't play much soccer out of guilt," he said.
"A lot of players on the field had forgiven me because they could see how visibly upset I was.
"Ryan reached out to me after the game with some really supportive words, which have helped me more than he'll ever know.
"This isn't a big OVA vs Moore Creek story. This is simply a person making a mistake."
O'Keefe said he spent "every game trying to be as honest as possible".
Read more:
What happened on Saturday "was poor sportsmanship" but it "was not intentional", he added.
"It was a mistake that I will replay in my head over and over again when I'm alone in my thoughts."
He continued: "I've done hundreds of things that showcase sportsmanship which never get highlighted by my team, coach, media or even other teams.
"But the one mistake I've made in 15 years of senior football will be highlighted by everyone. This has taken a seriously deep toll on my mental health."
It was a mistake that I will replay in my head over and over again when I'm alone in my thoughts.
- Mitchell O'Keefe
Hoy said "the dirty part is, he [O'Keefe] asked for the ball and agreed I wasn't outside the box".
The veteran Tamworth sportsman said he gave O'Keefe the ball "thinking he's gonna tap it back to us".
"He put it on the ground and kicked it into the goal," Hoy said. "And I got sent off from it because I just lost my sh*t and yelled at him and gave it to him.
"And then I gave it to him again. So I got two yellow cards."
Hoy said the incident occurred about midway through the second half, with OVA leading 1-0.
He added: "Literally, some of their players said, 'Just get the ball, kick off, walk through and kick it into the back of the net - let's start the game again at 2-1', because that's how bad it was."
Hoy said "everyone lost interest" in the game after the goal, adding that O'Keefe's action was "more astounding to all of us" given that he heads up NIF.
"I've seen king hits on the field, I've seen plenty of stuff playing a lot of sports ... that [O'Keefe's goal] was probably the worst thing I've seen someone do," he said.
Hoy has not spoken to O'Keefe since being sent off.
OVA - who extended their unbeaten run to 46 games - will play either Moore Creek or North Companions in the grand final.
In the minor semi-final at Riverside on Saturday, Northies beat Souths United 3-0.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark northerndailyleader.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News