1 April 1999 Edition
Sportsview: Violence and the GAA
by Dan O'Neill
As the movers and shakers of the National Football League jostled for places in the knock-out stages, and others battled to avoid relegation, it was disciplinary matters which stole the headlines in Mondays papers.
Leading referee, Michael Curley was struck in the face by Wexford boss JJ Barrett after he awarded a penalty to Cavan in the dying minutes of the game which lost Wexford a place in Division 1 next year. Two players, Cavan defender Terry Farrelly and Wexford's Pat Forde, had been sent off minutes before.
Elsewhere, three were sent off in Cork's clash with the Dubs, while Armagh forward John Rafferty was dismissed for a late challenge in their victory over rivals Tyrone. Derry's Seamus Downey sustained a fractured jaw after a high challenge in the game against Laois.
These latest incidents come only a week after the GAA's Ard-Stiúrthóir, Liam Mulvihill, attacked the levels of indiscipline in the game.
The media is quick to talk up a crisis regarding violence in the GAA. I don't want to jump on the bandwagon.
Gaelic Football is a contact sport. At the top level, the stakes are high and things will happen.
The truth is that most of the sending offs on any given weekend are for playing hard aggressive football which most teams believe they need in order to win at the top. However, incidents such as the attack on an experienced referee at Breffni Park have no place in the game. Nor does the attack on Seamus Downey, or the attack on Dermot Ryan in the Westmeath v Wicklow game last month which left him with a fractured cheekbone.
GAA chiefs have planned major disciplinary changes for next month's Annual Congress.
While any discussion on new disciplinary procedures should be welcome, talk of power being switched from the provinces to a central authority and Croke Park or referees reports being submitted earlier and so on, don't deal with the problems of discipline.
Referee's and linesmen are particularly guilty of `see no evil, hear no evil'. It defies belief why the match officials can't pick up any bad incidents on the field of play. How many pairs of eyes are required to do this. How was the tackle on Downey not seen?
There is no doubt that better officiating at games is needed as many match officials are obviously ill-equipped to make proper decisions when foul play is going on. And while a referee could not have prevented the attack on the referee at the weekend, incidents such as Seamus Downey's must not go unpunished.
While I believe that the game should be played hard, it should also be played fair - and players must be mindful of the limits of their actions on the field.
After last weekends action, the quarter-final programme for the NFL is as follows; Sligo v Cork or Armagh; Derry v Cork or Armagh; Meath v Kerry; Dublin v Kildare.
Matches are due to be played on Sunday 11 April.
I got five out of six predictions right in the weekends National Hurling League games - not bad. Only Tipperary let me down after losing to an impressive and resurgent Kilkenny.
Kilkenny should make it two on the trot when they face Down this weekend. Waterford will overcome Laois and I'll stick my neck out by tipping Cork to beat Tipperary in Division 1B's other games.
In Division 1A, Limerick should end their slump with a victory over Dublin, while I fancy Offaly to repeat the heroics of last years All-Ireland semi by beating Clare in what will be a close contest.
There wasn't much action elsewhere on the sporting front. The NATO attacks on Serbia, and the instability in the Balkans prevented the Republic of Ireland team travelling to Macedonia for their European qualifying game on Saturday last.
I had, however, the joy of watching the `Norn Iron' game against the Germans at Windsor Park.
After a 3-0 defeat, the Six Counties have now little or no chance of qualifying for next years championships. In fact, about as much chance as there is of Windsor Park becoming a place where Catholic families can go to watch a game of football in a ``spirit of participation, celebration and toleration'', in the words of the Sports Council cards handed out during the game.
The very few Catholics who attended the game had to sit through the usual barrage of sectarian insults, and the singing of the Sash and the Billy Boys. Afterwards we heard Steve Lomas and Lawrie McMenemy pay tribute to their supporters for their ``magnificent'' efforts to raise the team. Obviously nothing has changed up Windsor way!
As the movers and shakers of the National Football League jostled for places in the knock-out stages, and others battled to avoid relegation, it was disciplinary matters which stole the headlines in Mondays papers.
Leading referee, Michael Curley was struck in the face by Wexford boss JJ Barrett after he awarded a penalty to Cavan in the dying minutes of the game which lost Wexford a place in Division 1 next year. Two players, Cavan defender Terry Farrelly and Wexford's Pat Forde, had been sent off minutes before.
Elsewhere, three were sent off in Cork's clash with the Dubs, while Armagh forward John Rafferty was dismissed for a late challenge in their victory over rivals Tyrone. Derry's Seamus Downey sustained a fractured jaw after a high challenge in the game against Laois.
These latest incidents come only a week after the GAA's Ard-Stiúrthóir, Liam Mulvihill, attacked the levels of indiscipline in the game.
The media is quick to talk up a crisis regarding violence in the GAA. I don't want to jump on the bandwagon.
Gaelic Football is a contact sport. At the top level, the stakes are high and things will happen.
The truth is that most of the sending offs on any given weekend are for playing hard aggressive football which most teams believe they need in order to win at the top. However, incidents such as the attack on an experienced referee at Breffni Park have no place in the game. Nor does the attack on Seamus Downey, or the attack on Dermot Ryan in the Westmeath v Wicklow game last month which left him with a fractured cheekbone.
GAA chiefs have planned major disciplinary changes for next month's Annual Congress.
While any discussion on new disciplinary procedures should be welcome, talk of power being switched from the provinces to a central authority and Croke Park or referees reports being submitted earlier and so on, don't deal with the problems of discipline.
Referee's and linesmen are particularly guilty of `see no evil, hear no evil'. It defies belief why the match officials can't pick up any bad incidents on the field of play. How many pairs of eyes are required to do this. How was the tackle on Downey not seen?
There is no doubt that better officiating at games is needed as many match officials are obviously ill-equipped to make proper decisions when foul play is going on. And while a referee could not have prevented the attack on the referee at the weekend, incidents such as Seamus Downey's must not go unpunished.
While I believe that the game should be played hard, it should also be played fair - and players must be mindful of the limits of their actions on the field.
After last weekends action, the quarter-final programme for the NFL is as follows; Sligo v Cork or Armagh; Derry v Cork or Armagh; Meath v Kerry; Dublin v Kildare.
Matches are due to be played on Sunday 11 April.
I got five out of six predictions right in the weekends National Hurling League games - not bad. Only Tipperary let me down after losing to an impressive and resurgent Kilkenny.
Kilkenny should make it two on the trot when they face Down this weekend. Waterford will overcome Laois and I'll stick my neck out by tipping Cork to beat Tipperary in Division 1B's other games.
In Division 1A, Limerick should end their slump with a victory over Dublin, while I fancy Offaly to repeat the heroics of last years All-Ireland semi by beating Clare in what will be a close contest.
There wasn't much action elsewhere on the sporting front. The NATO attacks on Serbia, and the instability in the Balkans prevented the Republic of Ireland team travelling to Macedonia for their European qualifying game on Saturday last.
I had, however, the joy of watching the `Norn Iron' game against the Germans at Windsor Park.
After a 3-0 defeat, the Six Counties have now little or no chance of qualifying for next years championships. In fact, about as much chance as there is of Windsor Park becoming a place where Catholic families can go to watch a game of football in a ``spirit of participation, celebration and toleration'', in the words of the Sports Council cards handed out during the game.
The very few Catholics who attended the game had to sit through the usual barrage of sectarian insults, and the singing of the Sash and the Billy Boys. Afterwards we heard Steve Lomas and Lawrie McMenemy pay tribute to their supporters for their ``magnificent'' efforts to raise the team. Obviously nothing has changed up Windsor way!