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

[mylestheslasher]

It's a wonder ye didn't try a bit of that yourselves down in Cork.
Nothing else seemed to be working.

Sure we couldn't get the ball to cheat with it.

[SLIGONIAN]

Would you attack the referee? Would you hit a steward with a bottle? Would you punch an opposition player?

No I wouldn't, but the language would not be nice coming from my mouth to all and sundry for a long time.

+1

[norabeag]

Is hardstation a wum, a meath man or a simpleton?

I think he's really Stephen Nolan in disguise

[lemallon]

Just after watching the whole 70 mins for the second time and by far the most noticeable aspect is that up until the ref made a maess of the final decision he had given Louth absolutely everything.  At least 5 Louth scores came from extremely questionable frees awarded to them.  I know if the game had ended in a normal fashion I would have been extremely irate if I Had been a Meath man.  Some of the lift ball decisions were crazy while a free given against Nigel Crawford was simply inexplicable.  Im an Armagh man who watched Sludden give two incompetent displays in games against Down in the league and Monaghan in the championship.  There is only one conclusion can be drawn.  He is not capable of refereeing inter county football and hopefully never will again.  I would also include Mr Fahy from Longford and Mr O Caoinnbhe from Galway in that grouping. 

[Lar Naparka]

Would you attack the referee? Would you hit a steward with a bottle? Would you punch an opposition player?

I would answer the first two with a definite 'no' and I'd prevaricate somewhat on the third one.
I probably would hop a few effs off the ref if I was a Louth player last Sunday but I never abused one in my life and I'd probably be too gutted last Sunday to do anything but lie down on the ground and bury my head in my hands. I couldn't see myself ever hurtling an object of any sort at anybody, stewards included.
I doubt that I'd directly attack an opposition player either as a fan or a player but with testosterone levels all around in the red zone, I could see myself lashing out in retaliation if I had been a Louth player and I felt the opponent approaching with outstretched hand was coming over to taunt me.
The Meath players have been very reticent about what passed between them and their opponents at the end of the game. All we have heard to date is that the Meath panel were incensed at the reaction they say some of them got from some of the Louth lads and used this as their reason to decide against a replay.
No specific details have been released and no Meath players have come forward to say that they were genuinely offering the hand of friendship and commiseration and were not trying to rub the proverbial salt into the wound.
AFAIK, no Louth players have commented on this episode either so I won't give my answer to the last question without knowing what actually went on  between the players of both sides.

[Lar Naparka]

Is hardstation a wum, a meath man or a simpleton?

I think he's really Stephen Nolan in disguise

Not very nice.

[Jinxy]

Would you attack the referee? Would you hit a steward with a bottle? Would you punch an opposition player?

I would answer the first two with a definite 'no' and I'd prevaricate somewhat on the third one.
I probably would hop a few effs off the ref if I was a Louth player last Sunday but I never abused one in my life and I'd probably be too gutted last Sunday to do anything but lie down on the ground and bury my head in my hands. I couldn't see myself ever hurtling an object of any sort at anybody, stewards included.
I doubt that I'd directly attack an opposition player either as a fan or a player but with testosterone levels all around in the red zone, I could see myself lashing out in retaliation if I had been a Louth player and I felt the opponent approaching with outstretched hand was coming over to taunt me.
The Meath players have been very reticent about what passed between them and their opponents at the end of the game. All we have heard to date is that the Meath panel were incensed at the reaction they say some of them got from some of the Louth lads and used this as their reason to decide against a replay.
No specific details have been released and no Meath players have come forward to say that they were genuinely offering the hand of friendship and commiseration and were not trying to rub the proverbial salt into the wound.
AFAIK, no Louth players have commented on this episode either so I won't give my answer to the last question without knowing what actually went on  between the players of both sides.

In all honesty, did you see anyone trying to rub salt into the wound?
There's extensive footage there.
People have tried to make out that Joe Sheridan was laughing in Louth players faces, however it was only after an elbow from Brian White and some other player squaring up to him that he smiled, as much to say "What are you doing?".
I saw plenty of players shaking hands but I've heard that some of the Louth players refused to in the heat of the moment.
Just out of interest, if a Meath player came out and said he was abused or struck by an opposition player how would YOU react?
I'm guessing they're damned if they do and damned if they don't.
Mark Ward made no comment on the punch he received and didn't retaliate which he was well within his rights to do.

[GAA_Punter]

Press Statement release from the Louth County Board.

Leinster Football Championship Final; An Lú v An Mhí.

In relation to incidents which occurred during and after the LSFC Final on Sun 11th July 2010 the Executive Committee of the Louth County Board have met on a number of occasions to discuss the events of the day and correspondence pertaining to same..

Goalmouth incident at the end of match: The referee has indicated in his report that he blew the whistle for a penalty, but then changed his mind and awarded a goal instead, which is contrary to Playing Rules. We also fail to understand why the referee did not consult with both umpires in relation to the goal being awarded, which is also contrary to guidance given to referees in such contraversal circumstances. In the light of this and the clear admission in the referees report that he "made a terrible mistake", the referees Report therefore is questionable.
Rule 6.41 Award //facts of game: The award of the game rests with the committee / council in charge acting on the referees report.
We would contend that that the committee / council in charge erred in leaving the matter to Meath County Board to offer a replay, without seeking clarification from the referee in relation to his match report and his state.............

http://www.sportsnewsireland.com/2010/07/14/louth-do-not-look-for-replay/

[moysider]

Louth to take no further action

Meath will go into the All-Ireland quarter-finals as Leinster champions after Louth announced the county will accept the result of Sunday's highly contentious final. In a lengthy statement released this evening, the Louth county board confirmed they will be taking "no further action" on the matter.

After the Meath board rejected calls for a replay yesterday, it had been thought Louth would be prepared to take their case to the Disputes Resolution Authority.

However, while admitting there was an enormous "sense of injustice" at the manner of Meath's win at Croke Park, Louth insisted they had never considered going down the legal route.

Instead, Peter Fitzpatrick's side will now attempt to put the controversy behind them and concentrate on their All-Ireland qualifier campaign.

Full statement from the Louth county board

"In relation to incidents which occurred during and after the Leinster Final on Sunday, July 11th the Executive Committee of the Louth county board have met on a number of occasions to discuss the events of the day and correspondence pertaining to same.

" 1 Goalmouth incident at the end of match: The referee has indicated in his report that he blew the whistle for a penalty, but then changed his mind and awarded a goal instead, which is contrary to playing rules. We also fail to understand why the referee did not consult with both umpires in relation to the goal being awarded, which is also contrary to guidance given to referees in such contraversal circumstances. In the light of this and the clear admission in the referees report that he "made a terrible mistake," the referees report therefore is questionable.

" 2 Rule 6.41 Award / facts of game: The award of the game rests with the committee / council in charge acting on the referees report.

"We would contend that that the committee / council in charge erred in leaving the matter to Meath county board to offer a replay, without seeking clarification from the referee in relation to his match report and his statement "he made a terrible mistake".

"Despite the fact that there are several avenues open to us to question the result we believe we have a responsibility to our members and supporters alike to display leadership on this issue and to move forward to the qualifiers. At no stage (contrary to media reports) did we have a legal representative present at any of our deliberations and we would also like to state that at no stage did we consider legal proceedings on the matter.

"The sense of injustice which is being felt in Louth GAA is enormous. However, the executive committee of the Louth county board, the senior team management and players have decided to take no further action regarding the outcome of the Leinster football championship final.

"On behalf of Louth GAA we would take this opportunity to congratulate our players and team management on a magnificent performance on Sunday, and wish them every success in the remainder of the championship. We would also take this opportunity to thank our loyal supporters who turned out in their thousands to cheer our team on, and we would encourage them to continue with their loyal support in the remainder of the championship.

"We have already condemned the disgraceful scenes which occurred post match and we would reiterate that there is no place for those individuals within our organisation.

"We wish the Meath players and management every success in their campaign.

"Louth have had over the years a long and proud history of promoting the best interests of the GAA and will continue to strive to do so on and off the field of play.

"Finally, in light of the tragic events which occurred in Donegal over the weekend we realise that we must put our situation in context and we would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of those deceased."

Very noble of Louth county board. Only time will tell if it was the correct - though in all honesty I dont think there was a correct course of action to take. Some messes just can't be cleaned up. You would hope that Louth CB will be respected for this decision but I have my doubts. There ll be cooing noises no doubt but ultimately I think it will be looked upon as weakness by the powers in the game. Unfortunately the smaller guys just have to take their shafting with as much good grace as they can muster. Better to roll over and have your belly tickled when the most likely alternative is a shoe in the hole.

[Lar Naparka]

Would you attack the referee? Would you hit a steward with a bottle? Would you punch an opposition player?

I would answer the first two with a definite 'no' and I'd prevaricate somewhat on the third one.
I probably would hop a few effs off the ref if I was a Louth player last Sunday but I never abused one in my life and I'd probably be too gutted last Sunday to do anything but lie down on the ground and bury my head in my hands. I couldn't see myself ever hurtling an object of any sort at anybody, stewards included.
I doubt that I'd directly attack an opposition player either as a fan or a player but with testosterone levels all around in the red zone, I could see myself lashing out in retaliation if I had been a Louth player and I felt the opponent approaching with outstretched hand was coming over to taunt me.
The Meath players have been very reticent about what passed between them and their opponents at the end of the game. All we have heard to date is that the Meath panel were incensed at the reaction they say some of them got from some of the Louth lads and used this as their reason to decide against a replay.
No specific details have been released and no Meath players have come forward to say that they were genuinely offering the hand of friendship and commiseration and were not trying to rub the proverbial salt into the wound.
AFAIK, no Louth players have commented on this episode either so I won't give my answer to the last question without knowing what actually went on  between the players of both sides.

In all honesty, did you see anyone trying to rub salt into the wound?
There's extensive footage there.
People have tried to make out that Joe Sheridan was laughing in Louth players faces, however it was only after an elbow from Brian White and some other player squaring up to him that he smiled, as much to say "What are you doing?".
I saw plenty of players shaking hands but I've heard that some of the Louth players refused to in the heat of the moment.
Just out of interest, if a Meath player came out and said he was abused or struck by an opposition player how would YOU react?
I'm guessing they're damned if they do and damned if they don't.
Mark Ward made no comment on the punch he received and didn't retaliate which he was well within his rights to do.

No, I can truthfully say I didn't see any evidence of taunting or gloating whatsoever.
That's not to say that there was none either. I simply don't know and I was only responding honestly to a fair question.
Obviously, Hardy had the aftermath of last Sunday's game in mind when he posed the question and I was trying to see things from the perspective of the Louth lads who allegedly struck their opponents.
I spent over ten years living in Meath and I have nothing but good memories from my time there. You can take it that I had no hidden agenda when answering Hardy's question.
Keeping this in mind, I'll try to respond to the points you have made.
People have tried to make out that Joe Sheridan was laughing in Louth players faces, however it was only after an elbow from Brian White and some other player squaring up to him that he smiled, as much to say "What are you doing?".
Can you honestly swear that Sheridan wasn't laughing in Louth players' faces? I certainly cannot and I'd suggest that you have no way of knowing either.
Given Joe's Sheridan's part in scoring the goal that wasn't and his explanation of what happened on TV afterwards, Brian White just might have genuine reasons for squaring up to him. He might just as easily be saying, "Tough shit, losers."
Either way, it's a matter of conjecture, not fact.
I saw plenty of players shaking hands but I've heard that some of the Louth players refused to in the heat of the moment.
This was my recollection also. However, I saw no evidence of Louth players actually striking a single Meath player. Maybe it did happen but I can't comment because I simply don't know.
Just out of interest, if a Meath player came out and said he was abused or struck by an opposition player how would YOU react?
I'd make sure I had facts and not allegations before I did anything.
Mark Ward made no comment on the punch he received and didn't retaliate which he was well within his rights to do.
Like I've been saying all along, I'd need fact not allegation before I could give a truthful answer and I've seen no evidence to date to prove he was physically attacked.
Even if he was, I'd be slow to accept that he was well within his rights to react in like measure. Keep in mind that all this happened in the heat of the moment and that if you accept that he had the right to retaliate then you have to grant the same right to the Louth players who felt they were being taunted.
What I will say without qualification of any sort is that I will be disappointed if it turns out that the Meath team refused to accept a replay on the grounds that some Louth players refused to accept their defeat gracefully.
If they refused to replay the game on a matter of principle of some sort, that's fine by me but, above all teams in the land, Meath has had plenty of last gasp decisions going for and against them and should know by now that what happens in the heat of the moment isn't always a reliable guide to what opponents or indeed themselves really feel.

[Jinxy]

Would you attack the referee? Would you hit a steward with a bottle? Would you punch an opposition player?

I would answer the first two with a definite 'no' and I'd prevaricate somewhat on the third one.
I probably would hop a few effs off the ref if I was a Louth player last Sunday but I never abused one in my life and I'd probably be too gutted last Sunday to do anything but lie down on the ground and bury my head in my hands. I couldn't see myself ever hurtling an object of any sort at anybody, stewards included.
I doubt that I'd directly attack an opposition player either as a fan or a player but with testosterone levels all around in the red zone, I could see myself lashing out in retaliation if I had been a Louth player and I felt the opponent approaching with outstretched hand was coming over to taunt me.
The Meath players have been very reticent about what passed between them and their opponents at the end of the game. All we have heard to date is that the Meath panel were incensed at the reaction they say some of them got from some of the Louth lads and used this as their reason to decide against a replay.
No specific details have been released and no Meath players have come forward to say that they were genuinely offering the hand of friendship and commiseration and were not trying to rub the proverbial salt into the wound.
AFAIK, no Louth players have commented on this episode either so I won't give my answer to the last question without knowing what actually went on  between the players of both sides.

In all honesty, did you see anyone trying to rub salt into the wound?
There's extensive footage there.
People have tried to make out that Joe Sheridan was laughing in Louth players faces, however it was only after an elbow from Brian White and some other player squaring up to him that he smiled, as much to say "What are you doing?".
I saw plenty of players shaking hands but I've heard that some of the Louth players refused to in the heat of the moment.
Just out of interest, if a Meath player came out and said he was abused or struck by an opposition player how would YOU react?
I'm guessing they're damned if they do and damned if they don't.
Mark Ward made no comment on the punch he received and didn't retaliate which he was well within his rights to do.

No, I can truthfully say I didn't see any evidence of taunting or gloating whatsoever.
That's not to say that there was none either. I simply don't know and I was only responding honestly to a fair question.
Obviously, Hardy had the aftermath of last Sunday's game in mind when he posed the question and I was trying to see things from the perspective of the Louth lads who allegedly struck their opponents.
I spent over ten years living in Meath and I have nothing but good memories from my time there. You can take it that I had no hidden agenda when answering Hardy's question.
Keeping this in mind, I'll try to respond to the points you have made.
People have tried to make out that Joe Sheridan was laughing in Louth players faces, however it was only after an elbow from Brian White and some other player squaring up to him that he smiled, as much to say "What are you doing?".
Can you honestly swear that Sheridan wasn't laughing in Louth players' faces? I certainly cannot and I'd suggest that you have no way of knowing either.
Given Joe's Sheridan's part in scoring the goal that wasn't and his explanation of what happened on TV afterwards, Brian White just might have genuine reasons for squaring up to him. He might just as easily be saying, "Tough shit, losers."
Either way, it's a matter of conjecture, not fact.
I saw plenty of players shaking hands but I've heard that some of the Louth players refused to in the heat of the moment.
This was my recollection also. However, I saw no evidence of Louth players actually striking a single Meath player. Maybe it did happen but I can't comment because I simply don't know.
Just out of interest, if a Meath player came out and said he was abused or struck by an opposition player how would YOU react?
I'd make sure I had facts and not allegations before I did anything.
Mark Ward made no comment on the punch he received and didn't retaliate which he was well within his rights to do.
Like I've been saying all along, I'd need fact not allegation before I could give a truthful answer and I've seen no evidence to date to prove he was physically attacked.
Even if he was, I'd be slow to accept that he was well within his rights to react in like measure. Keep in mind that all this happened in the heat of the moment and that if you accept that he had the right to retaliate then you have to grant the same right to the Louth players who felt they were being taunted.
What I will say without qualification of any sort is that I will be disappointed if it turns out that the Meath team refused to accept a replay on the grounds that some Louth players refused to accept their defeat gracefully.
If they refused to replay the game on a matter of principle of some sort, that's fine by me but, above all teams in the land, Meath has had plenty of last gasp decisions going for and against them and should know by now that what happens in the heat of the moment isn't always a reliable guide to what opponents or indeed themselves really feel.

Have you watched a TV or read a paper since Sunday?

[ross4life]

This thread is only 300 or so replies from the Kerry v Tyrone All Ireland Final thread 2008! i'm sure it can beat it & the title of this thread will be remembered for years to come... in time people will ask where were you will the Battle of the Boyne was played?

[lynchbhoy]

irrespective of square balls, goals, non goals, temporary umpirical blindness, a mistake by a ref and no procedures or video evidence etc etc set up by GAA to eradicate such problems - Sheridans 'gloating' was the reaction of any player to hostility from another player.
imo.

these days you cant hit anyone or you are suspended.What players do instead  is smirk or laugh at anyone that jars them up as you cant retaliate for a push or provocation.
I can understand the louth players irate reaction too towards Joe. SO I dont think its right to say that Sheridan was smirking due to the goal.
But what I say here is that all this would be unnecessary if we had video replays to adjudicate on certain decisions during a game.
I think this might need its own thread.

[Hardy]

Lar, I'm amazed at you. I thought you were a level-headed, fair commentator, but you seem to be getting carried away with wild and whirling words. Where are you getting tis stuff from? Players shake hands with each other after every match. Why are you suggesting that on this one occasion in your experience the Meath players were only seeking to taunt  their opponents by offering the hand? That's just made up, as far as I can see with no basis whatever. I certainly haven't heard the suggestion anywhere else. What would you be sayiing if the Meath players had not offered their hands?

Then you set up a straw man argument to give yourself something to shoot down. "Can you honestly swear that Sheridan wasn’t laughing in Louth players’ faces? I certainly cannot and I’d suggest that you have no way of knowing either." Well if you certainly cannot, where did the argument and suggestion come from? Can you honestly swear you didn't rob Swans of Curraha last week?

"He might just as easily be saying, “Tough shit, losers.”". Indeed. He might just as well have been saying "I have an awful toothache". Again, where do you get that from? In fact I didn't see him move his lips at all except to smile. Is that an unacceptable reaction to being elbowed in the chest? What would your reaction, or invention of motivation have been if he had punched him, which would be the reaction of a less restrained player.

"I’d make sure I had facts and not allegations before I did anything." Your sense of humour hasn't deserted you anyhow.

When did you stop beating your wife?

[magpie seanie]

Well it seems Louth County Boards assessment of the facts mirrored my own. The CCCC abdicated responsibility here and forced the pressure onto the wrong people. Even though I think Louth should have been awarded the game I commend Meath for not offering the replay. The replay was a total red herring but not surprisingly most people bought the dummy.

Louth are in no position to appeal anything given their financial situation so once it got this far it was unlikely to go any further. The boys in Croker knew how this would play out. The damage done to the GAA in Louth doesn't really matter to them. A sad situation and a salient lesson to those who expect fairness from the GAA.