More Thuggery on the GAA field

[Lone Shark]

There are a lot of red herrings being thrown into this debate, many of which are serving only to muddy the waters in terms of what actually happened.

(1) Kerry vs Tyrone - utterly irrelevant. The history of the two counties, or either county individually, is nothing to do with this incident. What matters is what happened.
(2) The card count - makes no odds. Lads commit offences on the field of play, refs deal with them. If the issue here was stuff that happened in the course of the game, this wouldn't be a ten page thread.
(3) Testicle grabbing. This act is the lowest of the low and should be punishable with an instant six month ban if proven, but the referee hasn't seen anything and unless there is some of it on video, this doesn't help matters either. It may have happened, it may not, but we can only talk about what did happen and Pearses do themselves no favours by bringing up uncorroborated stuff like that. Ditto the "diving".
(4) The "air of menace". This can't be dealt with either. Again, I wasn't in the stand so I can't comment, but you can't be ruling on big occasions based on the "spidey-sense" of a few people in the crowd. I've been at games where the crowd has gotten tense, but you can only respond to what people do, not the vibe they give off.

[AZOffaly]

Michael Anthony needs to stop talking to newspapers. He's made his point, the footage of the row is out there, and the footage of the rest of the match is with Croke Park. It just needs to be let rest now and Croker will deal with it as they see fit. I know he feels wronged, but this sort of statement does no good.

Edit. LS I agree with all of that. Emotive statements without proof are not helpful. That's why I did not post what I had heard until I had seen the video. And there are other things I've heard that I won't post either, unless I see them in the video.

[NaomhBridAbú]

I think the time has come to ban Tyrone county and clubs from all competitions. Disgraceful scenes of violence are now the norm on the mean streets of Coalisland, Cookstown and Carrickmore. If they want to behave like animals open the county up as a Safari Park and invite big game hunters in for sport.

It didn't take long for the intellects to get involved in this debate. Brilliant stuff there....

GAA has the problem, big or small, and not just Tyrone. It's not a regular occuramce at Derrytresk games, nor is it an irregular occuramce across the country. When we watch how the GAA deal with the issue of paying managers, it's hardly a shock that they do not have a stronger line on on/off field violence.

To blame Derrytresk, Tyrone, or Northern football, is simply ignorant of the facts and blind to the truth.

Sorry, but wha....?

Is this some sort of "society made me do it" kind of thing? Everybody is responsible for their own actions, and I certainly don't buy into the idea that this is all-pervasive in GAA culture.

try and read my post again there - see what you make of it the second time...I can wait for you if you like...

[Mayo4Sam]

There was a comment at the start of this thread about Dromids wife being quoted as having to hide her kids under the seat and it being a load of PR rubbish by bitter Kerry lads.
To me it's nearly the most important thing out of it.
My sister has three little kids in dublin, they play soccer, rugby and she coaches them for Gaa. Now what mother in their right mind is going to bring their kids to a match when they hear that? Much better off at the rugby.

You might say she is exaggerating but lets face it those subs ran from where they were sitting to get involved and didn't give two shites who they knocked down, women or kids. Why would parents bother?
The gaa has gone to great lengths to promote the gaa as a family occasion and it can all be undone by something like this.

As for the row, the argument that Dromid got two lads sent off means nothing, what happens on the pitch is dealt with it there and if lads want to box the heads off each other go ahead and let the ref deal with it but lads coming in from the sideline is just not on, indefensible.
Tyrone lads it's time to stop circling the wagons on this but equally it should be dealt with on it's own merits and not biased by all the other things that have gone on in Tyrone football, that's hardly Derrytresks fault.
Like I say deal with it on merit but deal with it strongly and use it as a deterrent to other people

[Applesisapples]

What constitutes having a go?  Talking, running towards?  Fronting up?  He definitely wasn't swinging his arms.  Do you agree?

Fronting up in tyrone club football terms means pistols at dawn. Squaring up probably means punching the chops off each other.

Tyrone club football would want to take a long good hard look at itself and what it tolerates.

Too many incidents at this stage.

That's totally irrelevant.  My point is that this incident was started and enflamed by Dromid players before it became a free-for-all.  I'd like to see the reaction to Pat Gilroy getting belted by two Kildare players.  Wouldn't be nice either-they'd be eating through the wire to get at them.

The real rot of the GAA is poor officialdom from the refereeing, linesmen and stewards.  That's where we differ from rugby.  Don't give me that clap-trap about Northern/Tyrone football, either-boring and obnoxious.

What Bollocks, how could any ref or official have dealt with this? With the exception of the subs and spectators it was all relatively tame. However when you look at the Ulster Council's reaction to the Ray Mathews incident and the Tyrone County Boards handling of the Carrickmore Dromore game then you can see why clubs think they'll get away with it. And before we have any crap about this being a nordie or Tyrone trait remember Louth and their fans with Martin Sludden. What it really comes down toi is the number of tramps who associate themselves with some clubs, take the fans out of that and a few yellow cards would have dine the trick. Neither team are faultless but it would seem that Derrytresk lost the high ground through the actions of those jumping the hoardings. Both teams should be fined and suspended.

[AZOffaly]

Again, I'm not sure there were fans involved there, to be fair. I stand to be corrected if someone can point them out to me.

[Croí na hÉireann]

Again, I'm not sure there were fans involved there, to be fair. I stand to be corrected if someone can point them out to me.

That fella in the green hoodie is a fan in my eyes. He is sitting in the front row at the start of the video and then gets told by the Derrytresk bibs to head back into the stand at the end of it. He's wearing a different style club jacket to the rest of the mentors and is wearing runners, not boots as someone stated. Could be wrong but all the signs point to him being a fan.

[AZOffaly]

I think you're right. I hadn't spotted him. In fact another guy with a blue scarf makes a go to come on as well but the only steward there kind of holds him back with his arm. That's not good.

[Lone Shark]

I think the time has come to ban Tyrone county and clubs from all competitions. Disgraceful scenes of violence are now the norm on the mean streets of Coalisland, Cookstown and Carrickmore. If they want to behave like animals open the county up as a Safari Park and invite big game hunters in for sport.

It didn't take long for the intellects to get involved in this debate. Brilliant stuff there....

GAA has the problem, big or small, and not just Tyrone. It's not a regular occuramce at Derrytresk games, nor is it an irregular occuramce across the country. When we watch how the GAA deal with the issue of paying managers, it's hardly a shock that they do not have a stronger line on on/off field violence.

To blame Derrytresk, Tyrone, or Northern football, is simply ignorant of the facts and blind to the truth.

Sorry, but wha....?

Is this some sort of "society made me do it" kind of thing? Everybody is responsible for their own actions, and I certainly don't buy into the idea that this is all-pervasive in GAA culture.

try and read my post again there - see what you make of it the second time...I can wait for you if you like...

I'm really trying to get your point here. I'm consistent throughout this thread as saying that this is nothing to do with where Derrytresk are from, and I don't buy into the thing that we're talking about a Tyrone or a northern issue here. Maybe it's more common up north, I didn't think so before but I do after reading this thread where a sequence of Ulster posters have suggested that these kind of incidents occur regularly. However I'm saying that the only way to deal with it is to mete out severe, deterrent punishment to those that transgress. Since in this instance Dromid lost a vital player who was having a great game and another player had to play on with injuries that later saw him hospitalised, I'm inclined to think that the actions of the Derrytresk subs had a real bearing on the result of this game. As such, it seems appropriate that they be thrown out. That is how we deal with it as an association - punish each and every transgression within the full scope of the rules. Of course the two Dromid lads involved should be suspended as well.

Certainly suspending a load of subs, mentors and possibly issuing a token fine isn't going to be a sufficient deterrent to stop them or any other club doing it again.

The punishment needs to be so severe that at the first sight of any sub going to invade the pitch during the course of the game, his fellow subs haul him back and beat the daylights out of him instead, as reward for his stupidity.

If I've missed the point again, you have my apologies. I'm genuinely not trying to be obtuse here.

[everymanaman]

I have just heard Moaning Anthony O'Connell's tearful tirade to the press. If Derrytresk are kicked out and are replaced by the ladyboys from South Kerry then all necessary precautions should be put in place to accommodate them in the final. It has to be played on a dry, windless day. The ball must not be too hard and players are only allowed to shadow each other in the tackle. Shouting loudly for the ball be also be outlawed. Maybe Moanin might go back to a game if all these conditions are met

[donelli]

Dont think there's much in the brawl per say.l.
however the fact that the subs en masse jumped over the barrier and got involved is a very serious issue and was a disgrace. if supporters were also involved the situation again is unaccaptable.
i think because of the subs actions, the club should be kicked out of the competiiton and not replaced.

[boojangles]

Whoever jumped the wall should be banned. If the club won't name them then ban the club. The boy in the bib should get at least 6 months too.

[LeoMc]

They can hardly replace Derrytresk with Dromid. Dromid are not victims in this.

There is no way Dromid, for all their whining, can get back in. They were equally guilty for what happened on the field.

However Derrytresk will see some form of sanction for the actions of their subs.

[oakleafgael]

Any sympathy that I had for Dromid after the weekend is now gone. They put their PRO forward as a spokesman for Talkback with Wendy Austin. Such a bit of whining I have never heard. They would have been far better served to keep their heads down.

[ballinaman]

A Derrytresk sub lands some dig with his elbow to number 4 after jumping over the wall....