2016 Leinster Football Championship

[Dinny Breen]

How good has the Leinster Championship been this year. Competitive and intense, as always a proper championship.

[Donnellys Hollow]

It's only getting started.

[thejuice]

I heard that the Meath-Louth game was played with championship intensity which is not what you would expect at this stage of the championship.

[moysider]

I thought I saw a Meath player with a hair bun on the back of his head ffs. Some kind of ninja effort. All it lacked was knitting needles or chopsticks or whatever shoved through it. What has become of the Meath manliness beloved by medievalists like Colm O Rourke? Doesn't bode well goin into the Dublin game.

[Jinxy]

Was Kieran Martin alright. He will be fine, although his nose was broken. Not sure if it was a supporter though.

Important win for Westmeath after the disasterous league campaign.

No sympathy for him.
Clearly mouthing at one of the Offaly lads after the final whistle.
Hate that type of carry-on.

[Dinny Breen]

I half agree/disagree but imagine the Offaly lad had a nice few verbals aimed at Martin during the game, and it was more off a release from Martin at the end. I blame Tyrone and their introduction of sledging..

[Jinxy]

That goes without saying.

[From the Bunker]

I half agree/disagree but imagine the Offaly lad had a nice few verbals aimed at Martin during the game, and it was more off a release from Martin at the end. I blame Tyrone and their introduction of sledging..

Ah now, there was sledging way before Tyrone hit the Big time.  They were well thought by more knowledgeable counties in this art on their way to success!

[Dinny Breen]

Go to bed FTB, you're drunk!

[Lone Shark]

I half agree/disagree but imagine the Offaly lad had a nice few verbals aimed at Martin during the game, and it was more off a release from Martin at the end. I blame Tyrone and their introduction of sledging..

Ummm...why?

Is this what we're reduced to - we now presume bad behaviour on the part of players even when there's no evidence of it? I didn't see any of what happened at the end and in an ideal world whoever hit KM would be punished - a long ban if it's a player (at a minimum) and an assault charge if it's anyone else. However if justice was done, there would be a (shorter) suspension for KM for bringing the game into disrepute as well. And yes, I know that this stuff is commonplace - but that's no excuse not to punish it when you have clear evidence of it. We don't let drink drivers off the hook because we know that on any given night there are hundreds of them who make their way home across back roads all across Ireland. Punish those that are caught, and you'll go a long way to stamping it out.

Again to be clear however, none of this excuses a punch (if that's what happened). That needs to be punished in its own right, with no mitigation for provocation either. 

[Jinxy]

How good has the Leinster Championship been this year. Competitive and intense, as always a proper championship.

Year after year we stay true to the founding fathers' principles.
Stylish, hard & manly football.

[Dinny Breen]

Because I'm not naive and the way Martin reacted at the end is exactly how I have see other players that I played with and against react, I'm not condoning.The Offaly player should get a long suspension if there is sufficient evidence, Martin is guilty of verbals but I would like to the circumstances leading up to his mouthing at the end, but a suspension no chance.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

I half agree/disagree but imagine the Offaly lad had a nice few verbals aimed at Martin during the game, and it was more off a release from Martin at the end. I blame Tyrone and their introduction of sledging..

Leave us out of it, you flourbag git! 

[Lone Shark]

Because I'm not naive and the way Martin reacted at the end is exactly how I have see other players that I played with and against react, I'm not condoning.The Offaly player should get a long suspension if there is sufficient evidence, Martin is guilty of verbals but I would like to the circumstances leading up to his mouthing at the end, but a suspension no chance.

What you are doing is presuming that in order for Kieran Martin to have goaded, then he must have been subjected to verbal abuse first. Why is it automatically the case that it must have been the Offaly player who was the first to engage in such trampish behaviour? Of course I have no idea what was being said either way, but I have a huge problem with this presumption of guilt based on the fact that there is no way it could have been KM making the first attack.

I've played too, albeit at a fairly low level, and we all know that there are plenty of players who just shake hands, get on with the game, and shake hands again at the end. In fact - call me naive if you want - I still believe that these are the vast majority, and I'd much prefer to afford people the presumption of innocence until we've reason to believe otherwise.

And if you don't think there should be a suspension, what punishment is appropriate? Or if no punishment is appropriate, then are we not saying fair game - everyone should do their worst to bring up anything they like?

[Jinxy]

He won't do it again.