An Fear Rua - Nicky Brennan on the media`s response to the `shenanigans` in Port Laoise

Mobile Version | Register | Login

Speak Out! - Gaelic Games

Notices

"Speak Out!" Home | Topic Listing | Post New Topic | Post Reply

Yesterday's HOT topics | Today's HOT topics

| Jump to:

Topic: Nicky Brennan on the media`s response to the `shenanigans` in Port Laoise
Site Admin (Administrator)	Posted: 04-Feb-2012 09:42	Quote Edit Delete Report Post Post Reply
Site Admin (Administrator)	Kilkenny People` Nickey Brennan: Maybe referee Rolland’s approach might be worth following RECENTLY I perused the RTE Aertel service (out of curiosity ) to check if the results of the All-Ireland intermediate and junior hurling semi-finals were listed. I already knew the outcome of both. On the previous day I attended a meeting in Croke Park with county PRO and IT Officers where criticism was voiced at the tardiness in updating the Aertel results service. It was not a surprise, therefore, to find the results of the two hurling games missing. At the same time as I was perusing the service, mayhem was reigning in O’Moore Park at the junior club football All-Ireland semi-final. For well over a week now the airwaves and print media have gone into overdrive following the scenes from Portlaoise. If only the RTE Aertel service received the same attention! Not so long ago we depended on a graphical description of unsavoury incidents at games from people in attendance and the media. Nowadays anyone with a Smart Phone can capture an incident and have it uploaded on YouTube before they leave the ground. Well in excess of 100,000 people have already seen the shenanigans from O’Moore Park on YouTube, and almost every national radio and TV presenter has used their programme to air an opinion, including the presenter’s own view. The vast majority of those same presenters have little or no interest in the GAA. Sure, they have been to Croke Park, but usually as a guest of a music promoter to attend a concert. The best forensics would not be able to detect GAA DNA in their veins. Let me say at the outset that the incident in Portlaoise was very serious and a dreadful blight on the GAA. It was inevitable and indeed understandable that it would receive major coverage in every media outlet. But there was an amount of “jumping on the bandwagon” also. This is not a case of shooting the messenger. The media are fully entitled and, in fact, obliged to tell the story as it was, but the input from a few commentators was devoid of balance. When one takes into account the number of games played annually, the number of serious incidents at GAA games is small. Any incident, though, is one too many and events such as those in Portlaoise must be condemned outright. Comparisons with other sports are inevitable and rugby is regularly proffered as an example of a sport with a strong disciplinary ethic. We have seen raw physical exchanges by opposing players in rugby which can be every bit as contentious as those in a GAA game. The difference, though, is that once the referee identifies the transgressors punishment is meted out and not challenged by the players. Perhaps more importantly the remaining players get the message and more often than not the rest of the game is played without incident. Referee meetings During my time as GAA President I made a habit of attending monthly meetings of inter-county referees. At most meetings a guest speaker was invited to address the gathering. One such guest speaker was Allain Rolland, the international rugby referee. This was some time prior to his appointment to referee the Rugby World Cup final, but it was already clear at that stage that he was destined for the ultimate accolade in refereeing. The comparisons between Rolland’s training regime and those of the GAA inter-county referee were interesting. He has a full-time job and would often don his track suit at lunch time and jog around the streets of Dublin close to his place of work. Training continued later in the evening followed by a game at the weekend which might involve considerable travel. On that score Rolland had a lot in common with GAA referees. But it was how Rolland and his refereeing colleagues dealt with matters during games that was most revealing. Before every game he would speak to both team captains and outline what he expected from the teams. Both sides took to the pitch in no doubt about the parameters within which they would be expected to play. Failure to adhere to the expressed wishes of the referee would ultimately lead to either a temporary or a permanent dismissal from the game. Such refereeing decisions are not confined to matters of physical misbehaviour, but also to persistent infringing of the rules. However, unpalatable a decision may appear to be to dismiss a player, the notion of proffering a protest must never be contemplated. One just has to think back to the recent rugby World Cup finals in New Zealand where Rolland dismissed the Welsh player and team captain Sam Warburton in the 18th minute of their semi-final against France. In hindsight, that decision probably decided the result of the game (France won by a single point ) , but it was a brave call by the Irish official in such a crucial game. The Welsh player infringed a rule of the game and Rolland made the tough call. Such a crucial decision may not have been made by all his rugby refereeing colleagues. From the moment I heard Rolland speak in Athlone, I saw a man supremely confident in both his technical ability and his assertiveness. A lack of assertiveness is often where some inter-county GAA referees and their fellow match colleagues run into difficulties. Ironically, I heard no criticism of the match officials who operated in Portlaoise being voiced in any quarter. Once the fracas developed in front of the stand there was little the officials could do until the mayhem died down. Stern action Perhaps once order was restored some stern action should have been taken by the referee, but it is unfair to make a comment when one was not at the game. What we can be sure of is that the referee did not speak to both captains before the game. This may not be the “done thing” in the GAA, but maybe it is time it was introduced. By outlining what he expects from both teams to the opposing captains, the referee is clearly asserting his position. The investigation into what transpired in Portlaoise is currently underway and the clubs are likely to be severely punished. Both teams were guilty of serious misbehaviour, but the consequences of their stupidity will be more severely felt in Tyrone than in Kerry given their qualification for the All-Ireland Final. Too many mentors on the sideline (from both teams ) and the scaling of the pitch perimeter fence contributed significantly to the seriousness of the fracas. If the matter had been left to the players, I suspect that the referee would have taken appropriate action. Whatever punishment is handed down must reflect the seriousness of what transpired and it must also act as a genuine deterrent to every team that takes to the field this year. Wrong was perpetrated on both sides and its best that we now leave it to GAA authorities to decide which players were culpable. Towards the end of last week another spark was lit when officials from the Killarney club, Dr Crokes, requested segregation from the Crossmaglen supporters at the upcoming All-Ireland senior club semi-final. Not helpful Ironically, that game is also scheduled for Portlaoise. The request, coming in the wake of the junior club semi-final fracas, was not helpful. It will do no favours whatsoever for the Kerry and Munster champions in their attempt to defeat the kingpins of the club football championship. It brought an unnecessary focus on the behaviour of both sets of supporters in advance of the game. Worse still, it prompted some to question the relationship between clubs North and South. I know many people from abroad who attended major games in Croke Park and they commented very favourably on the excellent behaviour of opposing fans who sit in close proximity to each other. It is a GAA tradition which must be retained. Not for the first time, a major fracas in January hits the headlines and the GAA is once again faced with defending its approach to discipline. Over the past year or so the ’Association has rolled out a respect initiative aimed at young players. Maybe it is now time for a similar initiative to be aimed at adult players and team mentors.
patella (23 Posts)	Posted: 04-Feb-2012 10:10	Quote Edit Delete Report Post Post Reply
patella (23 Posts)	actuallly quite a good piece. have always wondered why refs don`t speak to the teams before matches. think it can help build a good rapport with the players and they will then be less likely to act the eejit. Surprised also that the article came from Nicky. He wouldn`t be an administrator that I would rate highly but think he makes alot of sense.
South Limerick Referee (16,613 Posts)	Posted: 04-Feb-2012 11:07	Quote Edit Delete Report Post Post Reply
South Limerick Referee (16,613 Posts)	There is a completely different viewpoint towards referees in other codes, down to Junior Level. Nothing is questioned, and if it is questioned it is penalised, and in a lot of cases the fine follows in the boardroom. The problem with GAA is that leaving players and clubs off the hook at local level is valuable in terms of a backscratching exercise further down the line when votes etc. come up. How many suspensions have been brushed under the carpet in GAA? How many fines have been issued and never paid? We play soccer in a competition where you wouldnt dare not have matching socks and togs. If the fine isnt paid there is holy murder. In the GAA that level of respect hasnt been there traditionally, and that filters up from the grass roots to the highest level. It doesnt matter what the Kerry and Tyrone teams were fined, it still wont prevent things from being brushed under the carpet at local level. Originally posted by patella: actuallly quite a good piece. have always wondered why refs don`t speak to the teams before matches. think it can help build a good rapport with the players and they will then be less likely to act the eejit. Surprised also that the article came from Nicky. He wouldn`t be an administrator that I would rate highly but think he makes alot of sense.
Pas de Deux (1,285 Posts)	Posted: 04-Feb-2012 11:38	Quote Edit Delete Report Post Post Reply
Pas de Deux (1,285 Posts)	Absolutely ! And until things are taken seriously at all levels many will continue to turn away from the GAA.
carryharry (4,804 Posts)	Posted: 04-Feb-2012 11:55	Quote Edit Delete Report Post Post Reply
carryharry (4,804 Posts)	Originally posted by Site Admin: Nicky Brennan on the media`s response to the `shenanigans` in Port Laoise I think it is a well written article by Brennan, but he could very well of addressed these issues while he was in office let us not forget. He does make some very valid points though. The respect for Referees campaign needs to be rolled out whole scale at all levels. When a Referee makes a call whether it be questionable or not, that decision must be respected. Referees need to be meeting teams before throw in in the dressing rooms or the captains on the field and expressing his wishes for the game. It only takes two minutes and it places an onus on the players to make the game flow. While what happened in Portlaoise was unsavory and also jumped on by the media we do need to learn from it. There needs to be a limit to the amount of team officials allowed on the line. The linesmen need to police this, also subs need to be segragated from supporters properly too. The GAA need seriously to look at their own management of higher profile club games. The Connacht football club final also saw scenes that were totally out of order. The level of policing and stewarding has now twice being shown to be under par at high level club games. Some will say its ok etc and these scenes only happen once in a blue moon, but its not and i fear only a court case is going to focus the Association mind on this issue. Once is a blue moon is once too many times for this to happen imo. Final word, i am not trying to be overly critical of the Association as i think it runs very well in general, but these are serious issues for the long term health of the games we all love. Lets hope even after the unwanted media attention recently that something positive can come from the whole episode.
jack spatter (182 Posts)	Posted: 04-Feb-2012 12:04	Quote Edit Delete Report Post Post Reply
jack spatter (182 Posts)	well said one ane all,descipline from the top down and following through on all fines and suspensions is key.
worried (86 Posts)	Posted: 04-Feb-2012 12:39	Quote Edit Delete Report Post Post Reply
worried (86 Posts)	we are waiting patiently for the appeal to be heard ,Will the Tyrone Chairman of the appeals committee step back in again for this hearing (he stood down for the original ) If it affected the Kerry team the appeal would be heard 2 weeks after the final was over ,we will have the bleating hearts on about the 8 poor Tyrone thugs that were suspended for doing exactly that will have to miss the all ireland final ,coming from a small rural parish ( if you want to see a small rural parish come and have a look at Dromid ) the craters should have their suspensions lifted ,I will bet with anyone that their 8 thugs will play in the final ,any takers? if the Kerry players appeal their sentence will be doubled
Puckwarrior (22 Posts)	Posted: 05-Feb-2012 01:11	Quote Edit Delete Report Post Post Reply
Puckwarrior (22 Posts)	Two points I think might be relevant here 1 ) Respect for referees (not specific to just GAA ) . I was watching a rugby game recently and I think it was Nigel Owens called a player over and said "Any more chat from you and you`ll be in the bin, this isnt soccer." Point is that the respect show to refs at the highest levels trickles all the way down to u8. 2 ) Easy of getting off from offences. It seems to be much too easy to get off with suspensions with layers of red tape. I know it has improved in recent years but there are still county and club officals who take pride in getting "their" man off.
Open the Shoulders (439 Posts)	Posted: 05-Feb-2012 01:17	Quote Edit Delete Report Post Post Reply
Open the Shoulders (439 Posts)	Originally posted by worried: we are waiting patiently for the appeal to be heard ,Will the Tyrone Chairman of the appeals committee step back in again for this hearing (he stood down for the original ) If it affected the Kerry team the appeal would be heard 2 weeks after the final was over ,we will have the bleating hearts on about the 8 poor Tyrone thugs that were suspended for doing exactly that will have to miss the all ireland final ,coming from a small rural parish ( if you want to see a small rural parish come and have a look at Dromid ) the craters should have their suspensions lifted ,I will bet with anyone that their 8 thugs will play in the final ,any takers? if the Kerry players appeal their sentence will be doubled not only are you worried, you seem to be paranoid as well.
Sa Bhaile (1,797 Posts)	Posted: 05-Feb-2012 02:32	Quote Edit Delete Report Post Post Reply
Sa Bhaile (1,797 Posts)	Originally posted by Site Admin: Kilkenny People` Nickey Brennan: Maybe referee Rolland’s approach might be worth following ... I know many people from abroad who attended major games in Croke Park and they commented very favourably on the excellent behaviour of opposing fans who sit in close proximity to each other. It is a GAA tradition which must be retained. ... Mmm ... Just like the tradition of supporters coming onto Croke Park after the All Ireland to be with their heroes from their local or neighbouring parishes. This message has been edited - 05-feb-2012 @ 02:35

"Speak Out!" Home | Topic Listing | Post New Topic | Post Reply

	There are 10,277 members signed up to anfearrua.com
All times are Dublin, Ireland.	Always here... with the best in GAA discussion and comment!	© An Fear Rua, 2000 - 2026
Bookmark AFR \| Make AFR your home page	About Us \| Privacy Policy \| Terms of Use	[ Top of Page ]