Armagh Club football & hurling

[JUst retired]

As someone who was at the match, I can say with certainty that the player did not bring on the assault on himself. The facts are a free in was given to C/ville on the 45 mtr line and most people were watching for the free being taken. This includes the referee. The free was about 3 mtrs in from the sideline on the dugout side of the pitch. The incident happened on or about the 21 mtr. line on the bank side of the pitch. Anyone standing there would have had a good veiw of it. I was standing below the score board and therefore was looking up the pitch.I saw the player being hit but could not identify the culprit. Maghery as a club are well aware what happened last year, and as a club we took steps to ensure it never happen again. What happened on Sunday was not part of a game incident it was sheer thuggery. In fairness to C/ville they had a man sent off for 2 yellow cards( poor tackles) With about 2 mins to go no-one saw an ending like this. Kevin Nugent`s only crime was playing well and sweeping up in defence, someone didnt like it and dished out his own answer.I dont wish to try any club or player on the internet,and I think it will be dealt with at CCC level.I hope this post clears up any discussion as to what happened. As a member of Maghery I would like to thank all the poster`s for their good wishes towards Kevin and hope it won`t be too long until he is playing again.

[Abble]

dirty yellow tramps like this who think they're hard men by hitting someone from behind in this fashion need locking up. nugent will be in for a tough time of it both physically and mentally as there will now be court proceedings to go through and no doubt the cullaville club will be backing their man up to the hilt !

[Onion Bag]

This incident headlined the sport news this morning on Radio Ulster,

[JUst retired]

I`m sorry to hear it made the news headlines as it brings the sport we all love into disrepute, as for court proceedings that is a decision him and the family will have to take. Scuffles and rucks are unfortunately part and parcel of physical sports, but that does not mean we have to accept this type of action. 40 years ago he would not have got away so easy with regard to some form of retribution Swimming lessons maybe 

[Onion Bag]

Wish the lad the best of luck and speedy recovery, hopefully it wont set him back with regards confidence and his footballing ablilty

[regal]

Best wishes to Kevin Nugent and his family and clubmates. I hope his recovery goes well and we are watching him in an Armagh jersey in the very near future.

[el_cuervo_fc]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/northern_ireland/gaelic_games/8743095.stm


Kevin Nugent recovering in hospital after attack


Kevin Nugent, one of the teenage stars of Armagh's All-Ireland winning team, is in hospital recovering from injuries sustained in a club game on Sunday.

Nugent underwent extensive surgery for injuries caused by the vicious assault during a Division One club game between Maghery and Cullaville.

The 19-year-old was knocked unconscious and suffered horrific facial damage.

Armagh's disciplinary authority, the CCC, is in the process of launching an investigation into the incident.

The attack, which occurred in the final moments of the game, caused damage which will prevent the teenager from chewing solid food for four months.

Nugent suffered a broken chin, broken jaw, split lower gum, and all his lower teeth were displaced and part of his lower jaw dislodged.

The CCC will seek to establish the facts surrounding the incident and quickly identify who was responsible.

[Orior]

I hope Kevin makes a full and speedy recovery.

It sounds like the culprit was a boxer and I hope Cullaville do the right thing.

[brokencrossbar1]

They are savage injuries for any lad to suffer and it is not something you would do to someone in the heat of the moment.  there would need to be real venom in that kind of hit.  Things like that make me wonder about how I personally play the game.  I have always played on the edge and have never held back in playing it hard and have had the same back.  I played a game last week where a lad was puling and hauling at me the whole game and he hit me a sly dig in the guts.  I lashed out and knocked him with a punch on the cheek.  We were both wrong but I could easily have broken the lads cheekbone.  I went into the changing room after the game as I am captain of the team and wished them all the best in the next round as they had beaten us in championship.  I mentioned the incident in the changing room and said that these things can sometimes happen and if you give it you have to take it but that when we leave the pitch it is over.  I got a good few 'here here's from the players and myself and your man shook hands. 

My point is that in different circumstances the lads jaw was broken and I was no different than the lad from Culloville whether I meant it or not.  There was an "acceptance" that me and your man had a fair dig at each other but if it was a sneaky dig from behind I would have been rightly villified.  This is a problem that needs to be addressed, the latent acceptance of a cetain level of violence that runs through the sport, the "fair dig" mentality.  It spills into injuries that happened to the young Nugent lad sometimes.  I think there has to be a sea change in how the games are coached and how managers push the "win at all cost" mentality.  It is correct to be competitive but the game inmy view is in a bad place at the minute and there is need to bring it out of there.

[Onion Bag]

GR8 post BC, agree with every word

[el_cuervo_fc]

it is what is known as a section 47 offence. Triable either way in the magistrates' court or the crown court. If in the mag court max sentence 12 months plus fine. If in the crown court 7 years plus fine.



Could be prosecuted with gbh same sentencing.



Case of Moss in 2000 where offender punched an opponent in face during a rugby game fracturing his eye socket. Got 8 months.

[illdecide]

Yes BC1 i agree to a certain extent but me and you have clashed before on the field and there have been a few punches thrown but in all fairness was the venom in the punches (i think not). If a lad hit me on the pitch I'd give it back but to an extend where it's just a stinger and wouldn't cause damage (just enough to let him know he'll not get away with hitting me). This lad from Cullaville had obviously been setting this hit up and had thought this thru (waiting on the play to be elsewhere) and he obviously hit the lad with everything he had to cause that damage. To me there is a difference there, I've hit many a people on the pitch (retaliation) but I've never ever had it in my head to cause damage or hit someone with everything i have to do that damage.

If the lad that was guilty of the punch owned up and done the right thing and handed himself in at least it would show some remorse and would benefit both club and himself (may also reduce the punishment, if any)

[JUst retired]

The number of the player is now known and it appears he had just come on as a sub. Would this suggest it was accidental? I think not.

[brokencrossbar1]

Yes BC1 i agree to a certain extent but me and you have clashed before on the field and there have been a few punches thrown but in all fairness was the venom in the punches (i think not). If a lad hit me on the pitch I'd give it back but to an extend where it's just a stinger and wouldn't cause damage (just enough to let him know he'll not get away with hitting me).

But that is exactly the point I am trying to make.  I came off the field the other day and thought to myself "why did I get involved in that?".  There was no real malice in what i did but I could just have easily broken his jaw.  I wouldn't class myself as a clean player, more of a mullocker really, but I never go out with the intention of wrecking some young lads jaw.  I don't know if  if the lad from culloville went on the pitch with a specific intention to break Kevin Nugent's jaw but in a split second he made the decision to give the punch that extra bit that did the damage.  When I drew out and struck the lad last week I could have given it another 10% and broken his jaw.  That is the difference between me and the lad that hit Nugent and I think that the underlying acceptance in our games of the "fair dig" has allowed the situation where behaviour like happened in Maghery can occur.

[IVEDECIDED]

In all fairness I dont think we are talking about one dig here - read the injuries the lad has sustained, there is no way one punch did all that. I suspect there may well have been a boot involved.