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

[Croí na hÉireann]

I thought it was a penalty because of the 'keeper's tackle. He came flying across the goal, leading with his leg and went flying into Sheridan.

That's the only cause I'd see for a penalty, too. I don't know if it's the cause the ref used and on first viewing (I haven't had a chance to look since) I thought it would be a fairly tenuous claim, but I'd like to look again.

The whole business of the penalty award is very confusing. As people have said, you can't blow the whistle, stop play and then change your mind and award the advantage. If that's what he did, it compounds his error.

One thing that doesn't seem to have been considered, though, is that he maybe blew after the ball crossed the line and was thus out of play. He hasn't applied advantage, because the ball is not in play. So now he determines, somehow, that Joe had "scored" before he blew so he decides to award the goal instead of the penalty. What we have in this version of events is simply a wrong decision as regards the validity of the goal and not a farcical misapplication of the advantage rule.

Anyway, respect to the Louth people here (with one exception) and to the players, including JP Lennon and Colin Kelly and the Louth officials who have made public statements, disassociating themselves from the abuse, nonsense and hysteria. Decent sportsmen all.

Respect also to Meath Co. Board and the players for making the hard decision instead of the one that would have been so easy and would have appeased the lunatic fringe, the referee-attacking scum (and their supporters here) and the media. You are better men than I, because I'm afraid if I was voting, I would have taken the easy option and played the nice fella and cravenly given in to the pressure and buck-passing and neatly passed the buck back again to the GAA.

It took balls, having been asked a question you should never have been asked and that no other set of players has ever been asked and in which you were only allowed to give one answer, to refuse to give that answer in the full knowledge of the abuse (and possibly worse) it would bring, of which the scumbaggery on this board is but a small example.

From looking back at the footage on the rte website, the whistle sounds as Sheridan lands on the line, before he rolls around, which in effect resulted in him carrying the ball over the line. Another farcical decision from a farcical referee...

[Zulu]

I saw no reason to award a penalty, if anything Joe dived down to get the ball as close to the goal as possible and then attempted to play it but was already across the line and his attekpt to play it resulted in him throwing it in. But it is time for Louth to move on now and hopefully they'll win the next round and will at least have a shot at getting to an AI semi final, which is what they deserve.

[Jinxy]

There's no rule that says you can't dive when you have possession.
Sometimes I'll be running up the field with no one near me and I'll just throw myself to the ground, do a couple of rolls then get up and keep going.

[Zulu]

Don't get me wrong Jinxy, Sheridan did nothing wrong in my book. He attempted to get into a position to get the goal but it just happens he ended up across the line in doing so. Whether he threw it or attempted to kick it after that is neither here nor there as it was an illegal goal at that stage.

[Jinxy]

If I had Tyrone blood I wouldn't bother getting up! 

[pkerin]

"Sometimes I'll be running up the field with no one near me and I'll just throw myself to the ground, do a couple of rolls then get up and keep going"
Sounds more like a Monty Python or the Three Stooges scene to me. LOL

[Bud Wiser]

Well done JP Rooney. An honorable response. Put things in perspective.

Bud, you're a tara man for the courts and suing and money and men with wigs and the like. I wouldn't like my goat to crap in your garden I'll give you that.

More of a Newgrange man!  Did you notice yer man with the JOHN 3.7 yoke kept her down on Sunday, he believed even Jesus Christ himself thought it was a NO Goal.   



Why didn't the GPA step in and resolve this whole issue anyway !!!

[mattockranger]

There's no rule that says you can't dive when you have possession.

I'll think you'll find Sludden blew up JP for diving late in the 2nd half

[meathie]

was very disappointed with the slow virtually non existent changes by O'Brien on the sideline. we have said this before. It is probably my biggest worry at the mo. Bad bad 2nd half over all but some new blood would have done no harm half way through. and we certainly have player there lining up for places. Byrne injects pace and passion and should have been on 15 minutes before he was called.

[Hardy]

And I think Peadar was only put on because Shane was injured.

[Louth Exile]

There's no rule that says you can't dive when you have possession.

I'll think you'll find Sludden blew up JP for diving late in the 2nd half

He did indeed, Sheridans intention with the dive was most probably to gain a penalty!

[Jinxy]

And I think Peadar was only put on because Shane was injured.

If the forwards aren't performing Queeney and Farrell should be brought on with enough time left that they can make a difference.
O'Brien just doesn't seem to be ruthless enough in this regard.

[ross matt]

The final word on 

Louth forward JP Rooney reacted to last night's decision not to replay Sunday's game by claiming it was the right one: "I'm delighted that there's no replay. It would have been an anti-climax. That's it, what's done is done and we will try to forget about it now. It will be hard to get it out of our heads but we were training this evening and there was a big group there again. We'll look forward to the next game and life goes on. When you see what happened in Donegal over the weekend, it puts everything into perspective. That was a real tragedy.

"What would we have gained from a replay? It was a lose-lose situation for Louth. If we went out and beat them, it would take away from the actual day that was in it last Sunday and if we lost, we would be in a worse situation. We'll get the heads down now and you don't want to be seen as babies, crying about it.

"But we can't blame Meath, they've done nothing wrong. Croke Park should have had a say in this; the Leinster Council or whoever makes the decisions but they were passing the buck and putting the pressure on Meath. They should have made the call."

Wise words from  a fine player. If the rest of the Louth panel have the same attitude they'll be a force in the qualifiers.

[Maguire01]

This what I meant about the penalty. Freeze it on 54 seconds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUs7LplDcY0&annotation_id=annotation_371549&feature=iv

Look around 13 secs in where Sheridan dives for the line before the keeper is anywhere near him.

[Rufus T Firefly]

This what I meant about the penalty. Freeze it on 54 seconds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUs7LplDcY0&annotation_id=annotation_371549&feature=iv

There is no penalty.

By the way - haven't commented to date - my heart goes out to Louth team and their supporters. If something like that had happened to us in 2002 then I'd have lost it totally!!