Heaney lambastes Tyrone cheats (sort of)

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Himphey definitely was at Hughes, and very slyly and persistently too (perhaps that's why you missed it?).

Was at him....right! - Never read that one in the rule books!

Anyways nrico claimed he had hit Hughes...

Yep, sly nasty digs, all the way. Difference was Hughes took them like a man until he foolishly reacted, not fall in a histrionic heap liike a big girls' blouse.

[Estimator]

Hinphey is some man to have been

slyly and persistently

at Hughes.  From the throw in Hinphy was marking Cavanagh

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Hinphey is some man to have been

slyly and persistently

at Hughes.  From the throw in Hinphy was marking Cavanagh

Of course, marking can't dynamically change, and you never come close to another player, how stupid of me!

[Final Whistle]

Great response to Heaney's article:

A Right of Reply to Paddy Heaney's 'Against The Breeze' article in the Irish News on Tuesday 15th May



It was with great glee that an Armagh work colleague of mine e-mailed me a copy of Paddy Heaney's 'Against The Breeze' article from the Irish News on Tuesday 15th May. Not only did the piece glorify Armagh's greatest sporting icon of the modern era - namely Francie Bellew – but it also accused Tyrone of being the "worst offenders at the top level" for what Heaney refers to as the "Dying Swan" routine. For some Armagh people, they must have thought all their Christmases had come at once as Heaney peddled the old Orchard myth that Tyrone's first All-Ireland win in 2003 was somehow tarnished by players feigning injury and/or deliberately getting other players sent off.



Knowing how bitter and envious some of our near neighbours from Armagh and Derry still are about Tyrone's Sam Maguire Cup winning achievements this decade, part of me found the article quite amusing. However, his personal attacks on three of Tyrone's finest players of the modern era was shameful to say the least and has made me seriously question his integrity as a sports journalist. He clearly allowed his mask to slip. For, make no mistake about it, this article was not so much concerned with Francie's cult status as it was Heaney cuddling up to his Armagh comrades and indulging in the worst form of sour grapes ahead of another eagerly awaited Ulster Championship campaign.



There are those who will say that Heaney is a fair and impartial GAA writer. However, it should also be observed that he is a proud Derry man and ardent Oak Leaf Gael. Nothing wrong with that, of course. As a proud Derry man, he along with many other football followers from the Oak Leaf and Orchard counties would have looked on in 2003 and watched their arch enemies match their own county's All-Ireland winning achievements. As if that was not bad enough, they then had to watch in dismay as their next door neighbours surpassed those achievements in 2005 and moved on from being a 'one year wonder' team. It is, perhaps, understandable that there would remain a certain level of resentment to that success from Tyrone's closest rivals.



I am just a little surprised that someone like Heaney would use an article about Francie Bellew's manliness as an opportunity to spew some of his bitterness towards a now superior footballing county. Heaney shrewdly decided against having a cheap shot at Tyrone while writing about one of the great modern day Derry players, so he did the next best thing. He went for a player from another county with just one senior All-Ireland to serve as a smokescreen for his anti-Tyrone jibes. Good thinking....or was it?



Unfortunately, Heaney has boobed. While devoting an entire page in honour of the boul' Francie – a player who I also greatly admire – the Irish News writer has conveniently omitted one rather infamous incident from an Ulster Championship semi-final match back in 2004. Cavan supporters should have little difficulty remembering it as they were the victims of a great injustice on that occasion. The game was only minutes old when their midfielder Pierce McKenna was sent off for a wild swing on the aforementioned Francie Bellew. The TV cameras clearly showed that McKenna made little or no contact with the Armagh player. Yet, Francie hit the deck, McKenna got his marching orders and Cavan were denied a win that day as they played most of the match with just fourteen players.



For anyone who thinks I might be a small bit paranoid about Heaney's article last Tuesday, remember this: he listed three examples in 2003 (yes, that's right, the year of Tyrone's first All-Ireland success) of Red Hand players who were "willing to make a meal of fouls in a bid to get players booked or sent off". Surprise, surprise....the first of those examples involved the defeat of Heaney's own county. Comparing three-time All-Star Sean Cavanagh to soccer player Jurgen Klinsmann for an incident in a first round match at Casement Park which the vast majority of Ulster Gaels probably can't even recall smacks of desperation on Heaney's part.



What I do remember of that game is the fact that Sean Cavanagh broke Derry hearts with a masterful midfield performance. His was one of many superb individual displays on a day when Tyrone completely dominated their Oak Leaf opponents from the word go. Sean Cavanagh had no desire nor good reason for wanting any Derry player sent off in a game that Tyrone were winning easily. He did, however, leave the field that day with a mark on his face – something Heaney might want to investigate further when trying to find out the real reason why Derry finished the game that day with just fourteen players.



That Heaney went on to further embarrass himself by listing two other examples of Tyrone men who he claims were guilty of "hideous gamesmanship" only makes his case worse. If he ever cares to remove his Oak Leaf tinted glasses and watches the video of the two incidents again, he will see that both Tyrone players were clearly struck in the face and that the referees in question had no option but to issue red cards to the offenders. One gets the impression from Heaney's article that the act of feigning injury and deliberately getting players sent off only came to ahead during Tyrone's first All-Ireland success at senior level.



As someone with a great eye for detail, especially when it comes to Derry and Tyrone matches, it is interesting that he never referred at any stage to one glaring example of the 'Dying Swan' routine in the 2001 All-Ireland SFC Quarter-Final at Clones involving a now retired Derry player. The player in question fell like a sack of spuds and lay sprawled on the ground for a few minutes following a tussle with Tyrone's Peter Canavan. The referee had been duped, Canavan was shown a red card and the Derry player was soon back on his feet again showing no ill effects from the challenge!



Of course, everyone could list hundreds of examples of when inter-county players were involved in this type of gamesmanship. However, Paddy Heaney decided to be selective in his characterisation of the "modern day prima donnas". One must really ask him the question why. I await his response with bated breath.....



**********



Colin Mackle

Moy, Co. Tyrone

[Bensars]

excellent coherent response

[full back]

Difference was Hughes took them like a man until he foolishly reacted, not fall in a histrionic heap liike a big girls' blouse.

Granted, Hughes didnt do this. It's just an awful pity a number of his colleagues wouldnt adopt the same attitude

[Estimator]

Hinphey is some man to have been
Quote
slyly and persistently
at Hughes.  From the throw in Hinphy was marking Cavanagh

Of course, marking can't dynamically change, and you never come close to another player, how stupid of me!

Sorry, for not making my point clearly. It was obvious that part of Derry's game plan that day was for Hinphey to follow Cavanagh where ever he went! So, I find it very strange for someone to say that Hinphey was persistently at Hughes, before he got sent off

As someone with a great eye for detail, especially when it comes to Derry and Tyrone matches, it is interesting that he never referred at any stage to one glaring example of the 'Dying Swan' routine in the 2001 All-Ireland SFC Quarter-Final at Clones involving a now retired Derry player. The player in question fell like a sack of spuds and lay sprawled on the ground for a few minutes following a tussle with Tyrone's Peter Canavan. The referee had been duped, Canavan was shown a red card and the Derry player was soon back on his feet again showing no ill effects from the challenge!

Interesting to say that he duped the referee! The incident (a punch to the gut) happened right in front of the linesman. The referee (Pat McEnaney), didn't get a clear view and had to consult with the linesman, before sending him off.

[Uladh]

Whilst written in colourful and thoughtful prose, the reply is discredited by turning the debate about a serious disease on our game into a petty intercounty spat. heaney kept the high ground by articulating the problem with solid examples in a tone that every club player can sympathise with while the reply is cheap point scoring and gloating.

pity, there is a lot of room to take heaney's article apart.

[Hardy]

I agree. It's a pity that the substantive point is being lost in the predictable factional squabbling. Heaney could have done more to avoid it, though, by refraining from going bald-headed for Tyrone, however tempting that is, given their position on the highest diving board.

[ONeill]

An excellent response from our long-lost contributor.

He met Heaney's attempt to use his position as a smokescreen for petty squabbling head-on with the same train of thought, this time laid bare. A like-for-like if you will, though without Heaney's dubious analogies.

However, Heaney had a chance there to really nail this issue and bring it into the public eye in style. His approach in using questionable examples sullied it.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Hinphey is some man to have been
Quote
slyly and persistently
at Hughes.  From the throw in Hinphy was marking Cavanagh

Of course, marking can't dynamically change, and you never come close to another player, how stupid of me!

Sorry, for not making my point clearly. It was obvious that part of Derry's game plan that day was for Hinphey to follow Cavanagh where ever he went! So, I find it very strange for someone to say that Hinphey was persistently at Hughes, before he got sent off

Were you even at that game? Long before Hughes eventually reacted I thought that Hinphey was hell-bent on winding him up to breaking-point – he missed no possible opportunity, and given that both he and Hughes were operating primarily in the same third of the pitch that's hardly surprising, is it (regardless of whom he was 'marking')?  Hence the persistence!

[tbrick18]

How many players does ricey "get at" during the course of a year?
How many of those players retalliate?
If you have players on your team fit to persistently get at players on other teams then it is hypocrytical to complain when someone does the same to you.
Hughes punched...so he had to go. End of story.

[Bensars]

How many players does ricey "get at" during the course of a year?
How many of those players retalliate?
If you have players on your team fit to persistently get at players on other teams then it is hypocrytical to complain when someone does the same to you.
Hughes punched...so he had to go. End of story.

Not that your bitter  !!!

Actually not quite LB I stood on the canal end in 1993 waving the old oak leaf flag amongst all the cork uns.  It was the All Ireland final of 1995 that cemented my accrid bitterness against most things Derry with my mum and my wife and the odd Joe Brolly artcile being the only notable exceptions since.   

I have to admit I was at the 95 final but couldnt bring myself to support tyrone after the way the fans a players reacted to beating Derry earlier in the year. I had a feeling of justice being done in the final.
However, my bitterness has subsided over the years and I also have to admit I was happy to see tyrone win their first all-ireland...and a bit jealous to see them win the second 

          It must hurt tbrick !!   

[illdecide]

Heaney's article is true but he did not have any right to single out individual players or teams as all teams are at it(some more than others) Our game is being ruined by guys who go to ground when they see shadows never mind getting hit. for some reason this is only effecting the football and not the hurling, the real men play hurling.

As for final whistles report there, as an Armagh man i will support any team from Ulster (yes, including Tyrone) to win Sam as long as Armagh have been eliminated from the tournament, don't tar everyone with the same brush.

[ONeill]

Take a look at his article again:

It was infuriating to watch and it was hard not to sympathise with the Cavan players who grew increasingly frustrated as they watched their opponents engage in this shameless play-acting.

Maybe the Down lads were injured, but none appeared to be suffering from cramp or any other ailment when they celebrated their victory.

So you don't know whether they were injured or not? I've watched soccer players play 120 mins, go down with cramp towards the end with no advantage to be gained, and still manage celebrate. Not too hard to fathom. Ask any coach of underage teams. They'll tell you that cramp seems to be an epidemic now compared to times past, although most of it appears to be in the head more than actual physical cramp.

Tyrone, the All-Ireland champions in 2003 and 2005 have been the worst offenders at the top level. In 2003, they were particularly guilty.

Really, Paddy? You've substantive evidence there somewhere in the office? You saw many examples of this in the games against Derry, Antrim, Down, Fermanagh, Kerry and Armagh?

Sean Cavanagh put Jurgen Klinsmann to shame when he got Derry's Padraig O'Kane sent off for a second yellow card in Casement Park

Classy statement there. An opinion (of his) no doubt but totally misinformed (in mine). I must dig the video out tonight to confirm what I remember. I definitely recall Cavanagh with his facial wound from the incident.

Brian McGuigan went down like he was shot when Greg McCartan threw the ball at him in the Ulster final

I spoke to an ex inter-county footballer from another Ulster county about this on the day of the article and he said that if someone threw the ball in his face he would've reacted the same way, instinctively, and not with the intention of getting someone sent off.

Philip Jordan didn't cover himself in glory during the incident which led to Diarmaid Marsden being sent off in that year's All-Ireland final.

I'm probably the only one here who has actually spoken to Marsden about this, 3 months after the incident. He was more annoyed at Jerome's efforts to freeze frame the incident than the sending off.

In Tyrone's case, the Red Hand players were willing to make a meal of fouls in a bid to get players booked or sent off

Really, Paddy? Or is that what they're saying in the pubs? That's one hell of a scandalous accusation.