Battle of the Boyne - Meath Vs Louth - Leinster Final 11/7/2010

[moysider]

Also, has nobody questioned the 2 Louth backs who made a complete balls of it?

So what?  That s the game. Another made a heroic block. Thats the game as well. It s like saying a team that kicked a good few wides deserve to lose even though a bent ref shafted them. We ve been there and it is still being peddled. Under no circumstances should a game be decided by the whim of an official.

Two Louth backs ballsed up. The referee ballsed up..........

If players aren't good enough they lose. But if a sport is decided by the incompetence of officials then you dont have sport. If there is no justice in sport, then there is no point. The great thing about the championship was that the little guy could take out the big guy on a good day. 10 years ago Louth would be preparing for an AI semi with a realistic chance of the big pot - if they hadn't been shafted.. Qualifiers were introduced to give the big guns a second chance and now we see the upstarts being levelled by a bad decisions. Why bother with all this pretence of a championship and fair play and just let the select dozen or so compete for it each year.

Indeed.

The referee made a mistake, a genuine mistake. He didn't intend to fcuk Louth over. He called it as he saw it. We know that how he saw it was wrong. It has been the same in our games since they began. Many teams have been shafted since our games began. It happens. Louth were unfortunate. Time for video refs etc but what happened happened. It may be hard to accept now but they just have to take it on the chin, like so many before have had to.

You know who takes it on the chin. It only causes bitterness and resentment. I d prefer not to have to take it on the chin. Sunday s shit was avoidable if there was even a smidereen of sense about.

He didn't intend to f**k Louth over but it's funny that it is the Louths that get fucked over. I won't hold my breath that Kerry, Cork or Meath will get a bad call any time soon. The ref made a mistake but I m sure sure it was a conditioned mistake. He expected Meath to win driving to the game.

Do you really believe that? If so, you are mad.

Tut, tut. On the contrary. What do you think the ref and his buddies, the umpires, were talking about as they all drove up together to the game? Do you know any refs and umpires at this level?  Maybe they like football and have an opinion and who should win.

[moysider]

The referee is a part of the game, unless I've been living on another planet. It may be time to have a look at refereeing but many other teams have been where Louth are.

No, No. I can't remember any team being where Louth are now. Close maybe and then I d be talking about non county.

Does the fact that it is non county matter? Doesn't matter a toss in my book.
Tyrone in 95
Kerry in 82
for what it's worth.
I'd agree with the rest of your post.

In a way I m glad this happened and got the exposure it did. I think Sludden just got it wrong mostly - but have grave doubts he would not have given it the other end. And that s the thing. I ve seen worse, deliberate things happen that you just had to grin and bare. Career defining stuff. I met a few young lads yesterday who all recalled a similar outcome to a big match (provincial semi) where the ref imagined 6 mins injury time and then imagined a penalty to get the traditional power over the line. It was the first thing I thought about yesterday. I was raging and laughing at the same time. Glad that shit was caught on camera. Ok, Sludden - to give him the benefit of the doubt - just got it badly wrong.

[moysider]

Moysider, you're talking bollix and making serious allegations at this stage.

Are you, by any chance, suggesting that referrees are impartial?

[moysider]

Moysider, you're talking bollix and making serious allegations at this stage.

Are you, by any chance, suggesting that referrees are impartial?

Yes.

Christ. I wish it were that innocent.

[moysider]

Moysider, you're talking bollix and making serious allegations at this stage.

Are you, by any chance, suggesting that referrees are impartial?

Yes.

Christ. I wish it were that innocent.

That's pathetic.

No. What is pathetic is the standard of refereeing. I ve seen three refs being the deciding factor in three games in two weeks. The players are supposed to decide games.

[Armaghgeddon]

A referee being attacked was inevitable.

[Zapatista]

Are you suggesting hardstation that the Louth players and manager, knowing they had been done by a poor decision, should just have accepted it? And maybe hung around and stoically accepted it all and applauded while Meath was prevented with the cup? Are you for real? Have you no concept of the type of people that play and manage at this level? If they weren't competitive then they would have been gone by early teens.Why should the little teams have to put up with that type of injustice?  The manager and players showed considerable restraint under the circumstances and actually sent a few fans packing themselves. The fans actions are a diferent matter. I could see the same happeneing no matter what county was involved. Just happened to be Louth.

Tipp did in the AIF last year.

Eh?

KK won the AI after they won a penalty that was never a penalty. Tipp took the refereeing error as part of the sport. The only one who got upset about it was Brian Cody.

[Hardy]

"Breaking news" from Brian Carty  - almost certain Meath will not offer a rematch. Players voted almost unanimously against it. Co. board will take their lead from that.

[zoyler]

Reviewing the overnight posts and have some comments to make -
O'Neill says Sludden did not hit anybody.  In the physical sednse this is true but he has - by his arrogant incompetence sandbagged the future efforts of Louth GAA to develop our games in a seriously pro soccer area.

Hardstation is trying to rewrite history - the evidence is there in the photograph that the Umpire wanted to draw something to the refs attention.  WE known from the length of time that the ref consulted with him the umpire that the report that he merely told him to put up the flag that no consultation took place.

The refusal of the GAA hierarcy to face up to their responsibilities by taking refuge behind the rules just adds to the growing cynicism among supporters in the smaller counties about their chanches against the big teams - decisions like this just do not go against the big boys.

The CCCC can be used to make retrospective decisions.  This was the very last action in the match and there is clear irrrefutable evidence that the ref was in error.  Why can they not just declare Louth the winners - to say it opens a can of worms is nonsense - this is a one of event where they have all the evidence they need plus the confirmation by the ref that he was in error.

It wont happen but would it not be a proper sporting gesture by the Meath County Board to decline the awarding of the match and just declare that the want the Championship awarded to Louth - now that would be real firplay rather than paying lipservice to the concept

[zoyler]

If Carty report true then Meath GAA clearly have no concept of what sport and fairplay really are - Meath the Millwall of Gaelic Football!

[Zapatista]

zoyler, that's 2 terrible posts. If that is the basis of the argument then there is no issue only whinning.

[Declan]

From what I heard last night there will be no replay.

[imtommygunn]

The sad fact it that it is nothing to do with the GAA and nothing to do with Louth that this happened.

It is reflective of society.

That kind of supporter exists in every county and in most sports might I add.

[Hardy]

Good article by Keys.

However, why did he feel the need to insert the phrase I've highlighted in his sentence about Mark Ward?

"Meath midfielder Mark Ward, no shrinking violet himself, was struck by a Louth supporter ..."

What contribution did that make to his point?

[Hardy]

Just to illustrate what (some of) the Meath grassroots are thinking, here's a rough summary of soundings yesterday/last night:

The gradual build-up of details of abuse handed out by sections of the Louth support on Sunday is a huge factor in the resistance of supporters to the pressure for a rematch. The assault on Seán Boylan is the biggest factor of all, but people are also swapping individual stories of what was said to them and abusive behaviour. People are also appalled at the TV pictures and many mention that to offer a rematch would be seen as rewarding thuggery. They are looking at these pictures and then listening to the media to find their county and people bizarrely in the dock, instead of those who should be.

The media saturation coverage and the generally OTT comments of lunatics on the likes of Livewhine, are really hardening people's attitudes. The biggest source of resentment in this context is the continual references to Meath people and their players as cheats, while at the same time expecting good will from Meath in offering a rematch. The "cheat" word is a biggie in people's attitudes.

People are genuinely worried about exposing the players and especially Joe Sheridan to the type of abuse sections of the Louth support have shown themselves capable of. Some people ask could the GAA ensure their safety. Also people are saying it would be totally unfair to force the players into the indignity of handing back the cup, as if they were guilty of something. There's annoyance at Tony Davis's labelling of Joe's action as "a disgrace" (though, to be fair, I don't think that's what he meant to say. What he said was "Joe Sheridan either carried the ball over the line or threw the ball over the line, both* of them a disgrace". I'd guess he meant to say that to allow it was a disgrace, but pundits need to be careful with people's reputations. *Actually he said "boat" but, living in Cork, I've come to understand that when they say that they mean "both").

Of course there's huge resentment at the GAA's passing the buck to Meath.

One interesting angle was Louth Co. board's assumption of the high moral ground. The reasoning is that if they want a rematch, at least they could approach Meath and ask for it instead of sitting saying nothing and letting others do the running for them. That puts them in the position of being able to present themselves as not wanting anything, but being able to soak up the sympathy if they don't get anything.

In general, I found roughly a 50-50 split between those against a rematch and those in favour. Not surprisingly, the strong feelings are expressed by those against.