Memorable acts of sportsmanship in GAA games

[Croí na hÉireann]

Brian Dooher telling Coleman where the scoreboard was in 2001.
Paul Galvin helping Toal get thon pesky bib off.
Francie for easing that throbbing toothache Linden had.
Nicholas Walsh for washing that spot of dirt Cavanagh had off his face in 05.
Meath for giving Kleenex Bandages some free publicity in 1996.
Ricey for offering a bit of massage on McEntee.
Kevin McCabe for not rubbing it in in 1986.
Fermanangh for giving the Croker scoreboard man a bit of a well earned rest v Kildare this year.

Thanks for that Shane. Had forgotten, thought this thread was a "Let's frame Conor Gormley on the flimsiest evidence we can't find" thread.

Thanks for putting me straight 

Jesus lads, it'd be long since forgotten about if yous didn't keep bringing it up and spinning what happened. Ziggy when u get a min can u answer my questions please or withdraw the comment about me posting something which I know not to be true?

[ziggysego]

Sick at the moment. I'll study your response later and get back to you with a detailed answer when my head's a bit clearer. Don't want you thinking I'm running away from the arguement as some people do around these parts

[SidelineKick]

Also don't want you giving us the bug you have.  STAY OFFLINE 

[Fuzzman]

Just read most of this thread now lads and by God ye all got yer knickers in a twist all over again about this one.

I think we can all say that when you're in the heat of the battle against your main rivals then tempers are frayed and desire to win makes you do things you don't normally do.

I do not know Conor Gormley at all or good old Ricey but I've been informed by club mates that they are BOTH two nice gents off the field.
On the field however they have an immense desire to win and like many others if they're are words being exchanged and they're been written off they'll of course be more than happy to ram words down people's throats.

I've watched Conor get a little more cycnical this year, especially with Mortimer in the Mayo game but I'd definitely say him and Galvin had been exchanging pleasantries since Mr Eyebrows came on the field to an unbelieveable roar that seemed a little out of place to most non Kerry people.

I agree none of us can judge Conor on this one or two pictures or even from the video but if I'm to be honest the 1st time I saw the incident I didn't like what I saw.
I always try to ask myself what would I think if the shoe was on the other foot. What if Galvin had been caught in the same stance over gormley after beating Tyrone.

Wait a min. 6 pigs just flew past the office window.

Let it go lads. It was only in the heat of the moment as was Star goading the Armagh keeper a few years ago.

[corn02]

On the field however they have an immense desire to win and like many others if they're are words being exchanged and they're been written off they'll of course be more than happy to ram words down people's throats.

Red Hand Pr at its best. 

Let it go lads. It was only in the heat of the moment as was Star goading the Armagh keeper a few years ago.

Don't think anybody can have a go at Star for that.

[Mike Sheehy]

Or just maybe they couldn't be feckin' arsed giving an opinion on something so pathetic, just maybe

Yes, I agree with you. It was pathetic of Gormley to goad an opponent after the final whistle was blown.

[bigpaul]

The best act of sportsmanship I ever heard of on a GAA pitch,or any other for that matter, involved a lad who went along to see his local club playing one sunday, still wearing his best 'bib and tucker'. When the match was just about to begin the club chairman approached and asked him to 'tog-out', as the lads were a man down. With no boots or togs available the lad pulled on the jersey and went into corner-forward wearing his good trousers and shoes. On shaking hands before the 'throw-in' the corner-back told him he was mad, that he would get his clothes destroyed! The 'stand-in' said he had no choice, the team were a man down and he had to give the boys a pull-out. When the first ball came in the lad went all out for it and slipped! The corner-back was still concious of the lads clothes and caught him before he fell!!!!!!!     

[RedandGreenSniper]

The best act of sportsmanship I ever heard of on a GAA pitch,or any other for that matter, involved a lad who went along to see his local club playing one sunday, still wearing his best 'bib and tucker'. When the match was just about to begin the club chairman approached and asked him to 'tog-out', as the lads were a man down. With no boots or togs available the lad pulled on the jersey and went into corner-forward wearing his good trousers and shoes. On shaking hands before the 'throw-in' the corner-back told him he was mad, that he would get his clothes destroyed! The 'stand-in' said he had no choice, the team were a man down and he had to give the boys a pull-out. When the first ball came in the lad went all out for it and slipped! The corner-back was still concious of the lads clothes and caught him before he fell!!!!!!!     

We were down a man once for a Junior B game. One of our regular players was out with a broken wrist but came along to watch. With no other options the manager (who also played) persuaded him to tog out and that he could stand in corner-forward for the whole game. So he did. His man came up to mark him, spotted the cast and our man told him the story. So our lad goes in and stands on the endline, nearer the corner-flag than the goal and his marker says he won't take the piss so he'd stand beside him so it was effectively 14 v 14! The two boys stood there talking shite for the duration of the game.
But with about ten minutes to go one of our midfielders, as likely to hit the corner-flag as put it over the bar, hit one from out the field and it came towards the two boys. Our lad's competitive instinct took over and he raced instintively to the ball, caught in under one oxter and stuck it over the bar before his marker knew what happened!

[bigpaul]

F$%k-there's a pattern here! No matter what act of sportsmanship has been mentioned on this thread, somebody has bettered it with an act of gamesmanship! GAA and sportsmanship??

[Lar Naparka]

I have often heard of Christy Ring's gesture in the '56 AI final against Wexford when he tore through the Wexford defence and let fly for a goal. Art Foley, the goalie, somehow managed to stop it going in. Ring, without stopping his stride, kept going and grabbed Foley's hand and shook it warmly. A nice gesture of appreciation from one fine sportsman to another.
Personally, one of my favourite memories of is of David Brady doing running repairs on Ciaran Whelan's lugs in the 2006 semi-final.
Readers may recall that Whelan had earlier flattened Ronan McGarrity with a crude tackle and Brady, when he came on, made straight for Whelan to mark him. Well, he did more than mark him. He first of all flattened him invited him to sit down and then tweaked his ears- to pin them back, I suppose.
Needless to say, Whelan concentrated on playing the game rather than the man from there to the end.

[RedandGreenSniper]

Whelan concentrated on playing the game rather than the man from there to the end.

No, he concentrated on hiding!

[tyssam5]

Or just maybe they couldn't be feckin' arsed giving an opinion on something so pathetic, just maybe

Yes, I agree with you. It was pathetic of Gormley to goad an opponent after the final whistle was blown.

It was sporting of you to stay off the board for the last three months following your latest All-Ireland final defeat.

Have the wounds healed sufficiently for you to peek out for under the rock where you've been hiding?

[Big Alley]

To bring this thread back to its original subject, Tony Healy and Paul Brady were playing each other in Croke Park in the final of the 2003 World Handball Championship.
 Brady won the first game, Healy was 11-3 up in the second when Brady went down with cramp.  Under international rules cramp does not constitute injury so Brady would have only his remaining timeout (one minute) to recover or else forfeit the game, leaving Healy World Champion.
Sportingly Healy immeditely called his own timeouts to give Brady additional time, Brady recovered, Healy won the second game but lost the tie breaker and thus the World Championship.

I was there, I saw it, truly a memorable act of sportmanship in a GAA game

[red hander]

To bring this thread back to its original subject, Tony Healy and Paul Brady were playing each other in Croke Park in the final of the 2003 World Handball Championship.
 Brady won the first game, Healy was 11-3 up in the second when Brady went down with cramp.  Under international rules cramp does not constitute injury so Brady would have only his remaining timeout (one minute) to recover or else forfeit the game, leaving Healy World Champion.
Sportingly Healy immeditely called his own timeouts to give Brady additional time, Brady recovered, Healy won the second game but lost the tie breaker and thus the World Championship.

I was there, I saw it, truly a memorable act of sportmanship in a GAA game

Fair play to the fella, that's brilliant

[the colonel]

Triple All Ireland hurling champions Kilkenny have conceded home advantage in their Walsh Cup semi-final with Antrim. Brian Cody and his charges will travel to play the Glensmen next Sunday 25th January at 2pm in Casement Park.

The conditions of entry into the Walsh Cup were that the non-Leinster counties would be obliged to travel to all matches, irrespective of the draw. As such, Antrim would have been expected to travel to Kilkenny for next week's semi-final.

However, a phone-call between Brian Cody's right –hand man Aidan Fogarty and joint Antrim manager Terence McNaughton yesterday evening raised the possibility that Kilkenny might agree to travel. Further calls between Antrim, Kilkenny and Leinster Council officials brought about this extraordinary change.

Welcoming this gesture, Antrim chairman John McSparran stated this as a hugely significant act of magnanimity on behalf of Kilkenny. "There was no obligation on Kilkenny to do this at all, yet the good relations that have been established between various personalities in each of the counties has brought this about. This is a wonderful opportunity to promote hurling in Antrim and Ulster and is certainly something we are most appreciative of. I only hope that all children who have any interest in hurling are given an opportunity to come to Casement on Sunday and witness this great team. I would also hope that their parents can facilitate this and would ask that all Antrim supporters make a big effort to come to Casement to welcome Kilkenny".

Leinster Council president Seamus Howlin was also full of praise for this decision. "I know Kilkenny are serious about promoting the game of hurling beyond their own county and to be honest, this decision does no surprise me. This is typical and is something we come to expect from Kilkenny and there is no doubt that this is a wonderful opportunity to promote hurling in Ulster".

As defending Walsh Cup champions, Antrim will face a Kilkenny team determined to avenge the Saffron's ambushing of the Cats last year. Antrim will still be without the Cushendall players as well as Eddie McCloskey and Cormac Donnelly, neither who are currently available. Nonetheless, to have an opportunity to play against this team of modern day legend is something that every young hurler would aspire to and not enough can be said to praise this wonderful act of generosity from Kilkenny.