Battle of Omagh

**pete** · 19/02/2006, 10:26 AM

Rubgy has in the past given smaller bans to allow players play international but Gavin Hensons recent ban which denied him 2 international matches was different.

IMO Gaelic football is much poorer sport than Hurling to watch purely because of the level of fouls - too much dragging allowing teams then to pack their defense when fouls awarded.

**geysir** · 20/02/2006, 12:11 AM

Is it not so that a player is much better off if the ref spots the foul and gives the red card rather than the player getting cited later?
The IRB recommended suspensions for hacking, stamping or trampling an opponent is 6 weeks if the action is to the body and 12 weeks if it is to the head. I guess O'Driscoll was very fortunate that he had some brownie points when all citing committee were struck with a see no evil on his stamping/rucking with both feet on Bergamasco's body against Italy

**Soko** · 20/02/2006, 2:30 AM

Originally Posted by geysir

Is it not so that a player is much better off if the ref spots the foul and gives the red card rather than the player getting cited later?
The IRB recommended suspensions for hacking, stamping or trampling an opponent is 6 weeks if the action is to the body and 12 weeks if it is to the head. I guess O'Driscoll was very fortunate that he had some brownie points when all citing committee were struck with a see no evil on his stamping/rucking with both feet on Bergamasco's body against Italy

Paris?

**geysir** · 20/02/2006, 8:42 AM

Originally Posted by Soko

No mention of Omagh but I doubt you were shocked and appalled

Soko, that's an imaginative inferance.That point I made was about examples of common sense refereeing used by both codes for retaliation punishment.
[/QUOTE]Any luck finding the skull duggery from Paris?[/QUOTE]
After 10 minutes in the that game Flannery's face was puffed up like a battered boxer, easily visible at the first line out, looked like half of the damage was done in the first scrum that Ireland were overpowered in. I'd suggest the early juggernaut 'contact' made on Bowe by Rougiere was a very heavy hit not exactly covered by the tackle definition but deemed quite acceptable. Most visible is the "rucking" of a player caught on the wrong side of the ruck, its illegal but most times it's tolerated. I don't have a problem with rugby, rugby players give as good as they get, the players don't whine nor do they hassle the ref. Both teams know what's expected. The following quote is fair enough assessment of what goes on.
"In the spirit of the day, what wasn't seen was often deemed acceptable. When you went on the field with Ireland you knew you were getting into a war," says Wheel (a Welsh player). "It was dog eat dog. There was no malice in it. You just wanted to do the best you could for your country. It was the same for Ireland. One thing you knew about the Irish boys, they were always in your face. I always had great respect for them."
I would say there are very few who would find that statement unrepresentative.
re GAA

the game is a sham at the moment.

Imo, not on the evidence of last years championship.

**Soko** · 20/02/2006, 11:44 AM

Putting aside serious foul play for the moment, I just dont like watching football as much as I used to. I didn't see too many games this summer as I was away but then I couldn't have been bothered to make the effort to get up and pay $20 to go to a pub at 10am to watch fellas pullin out of each other for 70 minutes. The late hits after a ball has been played **** me off no end and I haven'y seen 3 men in a full forward line in years. Thats just a personal gripe though, the others need to be stemmed.

**geysir** · 20/02/2006, 11:24 PM

If you had got up out of bed and paid $20 to witness Tyrone v Donegal you would have seriously questioned your sanity. But any of the 4 Croke Pk. games involving Dublin would have been a reasonable gamble for entertainment. But not many echoes of a Mick O'Connell fielding the ball with such ease, elegance and making space for himself.

**NY Hoop** · 22/02/2006, 1:55 PM

Originally Posted by pete

Big melees were common enough in the eL 10 years ago but faurly rare now as players rely on football as a career.

Wanna explain this bizarre comment????

KOH

**pete** · 22/02/2006, 2:47 PM

Originally Posted by NY Hoop

Wanna explain this bizarre comment????

Ok maybe not melees in GAA understanding of the word but certainly used to have regular stand-offs with 10 or more players in the eL. In last 5 years i can't remember one but not been to enough Shels matches

**Dodge** · 08/03/2006, 12:06 PM

http://www.rte.ie/sport/2006/0308/suspensions.html

Suspensions lifted

**pete** · 08/03/2006, 12:09 PM

Funny those suspensions being lifted. Maybe they GAA are trying to encourage that style of play so have chance to "beat" the Aussies at the makeyuppie rules next time?

**Soko** · 08/03/2006, 12:45 PM

What a farce. Sean Kelly wont be a happy man after this joke of a decison.

**finlma** · 08/03/2006, 1:13 PM

It an absolute disgrace that the suspensions have been lifted because of some piece of beuracracy.

No wonder people laugh at the GAA - bunch of cowboys.

**pete** · 08/03/2006, 1:45 PM

Originally Posted by finlma

It an absolute disgrace that the suspensions have been lifted because of some piece of beuracracy..

Did this happen a couple of years ago after some sort of legal threat?

**Number9** · 10/03/2006, 6:46 PM

Go and watch any underage gaelic match say from U14 up. 90% of games are reffed badly, allowing what could only be deemed thuggery to go unpunished on the pitch. Discussions after the match in the clubhouse refer to this behaviour as "part of the game" or "Its a mans game". Offensive language goes unpunished as well. If it is allowed at underage, there can be no doubt that it will flourish at adult level.

Just imagine Brian O'Driscoll telling the ref he was a B******s and that he should F*** **f.