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

[GAA_Punter]

Decision on Meath v Louth replay – Live updates

http://www.sportsnewsireland.com/2010/07/12/decision-on-meath-v-louth-replay-live-updates/

[dublin7]

It's a tarnished title. Be naive to describe it as anything else.

The Meath CB didn't do the team any favours though. They should have made the decision for a replay or not but bottled it & I would say they expectedthe Meath team to agree to it.
However that was the 1st Leinster title for most of those players so can see why they said no.

Finally it's funny to think how Joe be telling his kids/grand kids how he scored the winning goal/try in a Leinster Final in Croke Park.

[Fuzzman]

Fuzzman, was also at 1995AIF and I can remember clearly the amount of "soft" frees awarded to Tyrone during that game.
Dublin's victory glossed over this aspect of the game. However the one marginal decision imo that went in Dublin's favour that day has been seized upon by Tyrone people for years as "robbery".

Just my opinion.

I nearly replied but this isn't the forum.

Meath will now go on and use this as a motivational tool that everyone now hates us (AGAIN) and we'll show them all.

[never kickt a ball]

I've not read all this thread or the other one along the same lines so maybe this has already been said.

Although its not the exact same circumstances there are huge parallels with the Dublin v Tyrone AI final in 1995.
It was my 1st AI final as I missed the 1986 one and so with PTG as our one man band we were hopeful of beating a mediocre Dublin team that struggled to beat all other Northern teams.

I remember afterwards feeling cheated out of an All Ireland with both the Darling Charlie sending off & then the Sean McLaughlin point that was cancelled out by Paddy Russell as he deemed "God" had touched the ball on the ground.

There was talk afterwards of replays and justice would be done but as we see time & time again it wont happen.
As they were saying on Des Cahill's show last night, its part of sport to make such big mistakes and even though its not fair it  has always been like this.
It will not change until it changes at congress before the start of a new year where they clearly state that a Ref can look at video evidence after a match and decide whether a result changing event occurred and the match should be replayed.
Personally I would be of the view that we do have the technology and that it should be SOLELY the Ref's decision if he wants to call for video evidence like they do in rugby.

I for one feel sorry for Louth and despite the action of some of their loutish fans afterwards, they should have won that game and Meath got an illegal goal that won them the game. When the ref admiited he made a mistake he should have the authority to say that it was a match deciding mistake and a replay would be the best outcome.
Then no need for the CCCC or any county board to get involved but others would say that's too much pressure on the ref.
He was the one that made the mistake and he has admitted that so he should be allowed to decide how to fix it.

The Tyrone V Armagh Ulster final replay in 2008 also ended in farce. No replay there but Tyrone went on to win the All-Ireland.

[Lar Naparka]

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.

I'd half agree with you on that.
I don't think that the actions of a few so-called fans are representative of the vast majority of Louth supporters. But there is a strong element of the hard man mentality in every county in the land and it's not confined to the menfolk either. I'd go further and say that a wanton disregard for the rules of the game is to be found right down to grass roots level—even kiddies' games are not immune.
I was involved in Cumann na mBunscol activities for many years and I can tell you that primary school games could, and often did, attract a loutish element whose main reason for attending seemed to be to hurl abuse at the ref, umpires, linesmen and everyone else accept the team players  they had come along to support.
Mammies on the sideline, often pushing a pram and with a gaggle of young children in tow, and often on the field as well, were a common feature. They spent their time urging their own brats to get stuck in and generally bite, boot and bollack all around them. Every decision that went against their side was actively disputed and pitch invasions were commonplace.
I am not exaggerating in the slightest here; after more than 30 years of involvement at this level, I am speaking (writing?) from personal experience. Behaviour at juvenile club level was even worse.
I don't think such behaviour is just a modern day phenomenon either; it seems to have predated the beginnings of the GAA—a carryover from the faction fights of earlier times. (Pride of the village and all that.)
So the oul' fella used to tell me and he also reckoned that football in his time (the 40s) was much more of a 'man's game' than it was in the 70s and 80s and most observers today would reckon that the standards of both players and fans were far worse then than now.
Back in his playing days, the manager who was also the parish priest, used to lay around him with his blackthorn stick as the players ran out onto the pitch. He reckoned that a few belts were just the thing to motivate his men!
So, the Louth 'fans' last Sunday were following a long and dishonourable tradition and I guess it won't come to an end any time soon. If ever.

[deiseach]

While it's a bit disappointing if true that Meath won't offer a replay, I can't say they're wrong. Once the onus was put on them to do "the decent thing" all manner of attitudes that should be secondary to the decision were going to enter the mix. If by some deus ex machina the decision on what happens next came down to the plain people of Louth we'd have opinions ranging from "give us a replay" to "execute every first born in Meath". And an opinion on the definitiveness of something is still an opinion, isn't it?

[zoyler]

1)Meath payers keep their tarnished baubles, Louth players  their honour -

2)Words not to be used in the same sentence for the immediate future - Meath football and sportsmanship

3) How will Colm O'Rourke explain the concept of fairplay to his students next term?

[Hardy]

While it's a bit disappointing if true that Meath won't offer a replay, I can't say they're wrong. Once the onus was put on them to do "the decent thing" all manner of attitudes that should be secondary to the decision were going to enter the mix. If by some deus ex machina the decision on what happens next came down to the plain people of Louth we'd have opinions ranging from "give us a replay" to "execute every first born in Meath". And an opinion on the definitiveness of something is still an opinion, isn't it?

Indeed it is! 

[Hardy]

1)Meath payers keep their tarnished baubles, Louth players  their honour -

2)Words not to be used in the same sentence for the immediate future - Meath football and sportsmanship

3) How will Colm O'Rourke explain the concept of fairplay to his students next term?

I dunno. Perhaps he'll show them the WHOLE match? And the heart-warming scenes of supporters expressing their, ahem, support afterwards. And play the the tapes of Liveline and myriad sports bulletins when their heroes were called cheats and then begged by the very same name-callers to be magnanimous and give a replay. You know - stuff like that.

[seafoid]

Didn't Colm o Rourke get involved in a few building deals ? How are they going these days ?
There must be a lot of GAA people who got burnt with the crash.   

[zoyler]

Perhaps he will use the scenes afterwards to explain that regretfully, sometimes people loose control when they are deprived of what is rightfully theirs!

Seafoids comments on anybodires financial position has no place here

[Galwaybhoy]

I must say I am disappointed that the Meath players did not offer the replay just because it would come across as honourable, but saying that if they did offer it I feel it would be best if Louth rejected the offer.  It doesn't really matter if there is no replay and Meath are champions or if there was a replay and Louth won, either way the title is tainted for this year.  I feel the GAA were right not to force the replay themselves (though many see this as passing the buck) but if they did then where would it end?  Would you replay the Galway/Wexford match because IMO Wexford got a penalty that never was or should Offaly have been put through to the Leinster Hurling final at the expense of Galway because of Ger Faraghers point that never was?

I think its more important to learn from this to stop similar incidents happening in the future but I'm sure nothing will be learnt.  People are bringing up similarities between this incident and the France incident but I felt the same way then.  Whilr I would have gained more respect for the French had they offered a replay I think it was still best that a replay did not take place.

[Hardy]

Perhaps he will use the scenes afterwards to explain that regretfully, sometimes people loose control when they are deprived of what is rightfully theirs!

Seafoids comments on anybodires financial position has no place here

If you're condoning the assaults on the ref, I put you in the same category as Sligoman.

[Hardy]

Pat Kenny again reading out scurrilous texts on the radio. This stuff is now out of hand.

[Hardy]

Kenny now saying his sources are saying the reason Meath players are not willing to replay is because three of them were thumped by Louth players when they went to shake hands after the game.