The GAA’s disciplinary wheels sure turn slowly but they do eventually turn. When the CCCC finally managed to stir themselves to meeting last night to consider the incident involving Tyrone’s Conor Gormley in that bad-tempered All-Ireland quarter-final against Monaghan, they imposed a one-match suspension on the three-times All-Star for his altercation with Monaghan’s Dessie Mone as the teams were leaving the field at half-time.
This is the incident in question:
Image: Balls.ie
Having looked closely at it a number of times, it seems to me that Gormley – who has done plenty of unsavoury stuff in his time – is being unfairly punished in this instance. Mone appears to have a hold of his hand and it looks as if Gormley does no more than forcefully push his hand away. Tyrone are said to be considering an appeal and you’d have to think that they have at least a reasonable case for doing so. That said, after all the ballyhoo arising from the Sean Cavanagh rugby tackle, it could well be the case that the GAA are hell-bent on sticking something on Tyrone, with Gormley the resultant fall-guy.
If the combative Carrickmore man is ruled out of our semi then it’s a serious loss for them. Gormley, now aged 32, is a vastly experienced performer – with All-Ireland medals from 2005, 2005 and 2008 – and his absence will greatly weaken their backline. Martin Penrose – sent off for a punch on Mone just after the Gormley incident – won’t really be missed by Gormley sure will. As a result, I’d say they’ll do everything they can to get him off the hook for the 25th. As this report in the Irish Times notes, the CCCC has only “proposed” that Gormley serve a one-match ban and so the player can appeal to the Central Hearings Committee (CHC) and, if necessary, take his case to the Central Appeals Committee (CAC).
Irrespective of how that one plays out, the bad news for the Red Hand doesn’t appear to end there as it’s also reported that another stalwart, Joe McMahon, is a doubt for Sunday week due to a long-standing groin problem. Never the most mobile of performers, I thought Joe Mc looked positively static in the Meath and Monaghan games and he was taken off in the second half of the latter match. From the sounds of that report, however, it seems that this is a problem that’s just being kept under close observation and I’d say there’s every chance that the Omagh man – who has Celtic crosses from 2005 and 2008 – will line out for them on Sunday week.
WJ It might have been intended as a push away but it looked to me as if he deliberately followed through with a punch.
Still, as you say, at least they followed through on the incident even if it is appealed.
I had said in an earlier post last week that it still surprises me that pushing, grabbing and jostling is par for the course with most teams but some Tyrone players have history with throwing in punches and elbows as well. I am thinking of Kevin Hughes and Phillip Jordan against us in particular over the years. Penrose’s punch in front if the linesman was stupidity.
A grey area seems to be a push/punch to the throat area that we saw with Cork in the league final a few years ago when three different players did it to Donie Vaughan.
His safety is the one I am most concerned about in the semi because he is as brave as they come but when there is a bit of shoving and shoulders he walks in with his head up.
He got a wallop against Donegal in the QF down in the corner. Ger Brennan hit him last year when he came in to support Alan ( I think) and the Cork game see above and which was also the time he banged his head off a knee and O’Leary tried to pull him up ( which we all posted about at the time)
joe brolly will be defending gormley in his appeal to the cccc , he will definitely be reinstated*
*yes i completely made this up 🙂
I prefer to play them with their full deck. No excuses then offered. Dara O Se missed the 2004 finsl v us. Didn’t make a blind bit of difference
Hit button too soon! Just to add. I hate this ” proposed” suspension lark. I hate those eternal appeals. Teams use them to trawl and network to get their man off the hook.
Of you sent off, rightly or wrongly then your gone . It actually is a better deterrent than the quasi legal shite that has infected all sport.
I don’t know if I agree WJ. Had a good few looks at it myself and if anything I think Gormley had a hold of Mones hand, watch his red glove and Gormleys black one. Gormley forces Mones hand away whilst following through with a good thump to his cheek. If anything, I think it is worse than the Penrose incident.
Is there any penalty if Tyrone appeal but lose the appeal? An extra game suspension or anything like that?
Mone must really have been getting under their skin, to get lamped by 2 different lads in the one incident takes doing.
Roger milla, you’re not far off the mark about Brolly , he is tweeting all morning to Gormleys defence.
He will be a loss to Tyrone along with penrose but by golly does this reinforce the siege mentality in Tyrone.
Rte, the ccc, CLG itself, the whole southern media, sure anyone down there just hates tyrone and all things north of dundalk. This will be the feeling. Sure it is gas.
Not the cleanest punch I’ve ever seen but it looks like a clear striking action to me – he let go of Mone’s hand just as his black glove made contact with his face. It probably merited a red at the time so a one game punishment seems about right in this case.
Irrespective of whether he wins the expected appeal or not, the coverage of the incident(s) will keep the tactics employed by Tyrone to the forefront of the media. This inturn will keep it in focus and, indirectly, keep the GAA and their officals on their toes in their attempts to prevent the negative and cynical tactics. This will all work to our benefit because if you reduce the cynical tactics that Tyrone may/will employ then you reduce their effectiveness as a defensive unit.
Our sole focus should only be on ourselves, on how we want to play, on how we want to attack the Tyrone weaknesses, on how we want to react to any cynical/overly-aggressive tactics that may/will come our way, on how we want to nullify the threat of O’Neill and Sean Cavanagh, on how we want to win. We cannot control what Tyrone may or may not do but we can control how we react to it and we can control how we play.
We are big boys ourselves and if Tyrone want to dish it out, we are well able to take it and give it back. However, I do not expect us to be so foolish as to play straight into their hands by reacting to any cynical tactics and lessening our chances of winning.
Tyrone have 2 men suspended for the next day, whether they get off on appeal or not is a different issue, but in fairness its another reason to be proud of this Mayo team, would I be right in saying no Mayo Player has got a straight red during Horans reign? In the Championship anyway? Thats no small thing, its great to have such a respectable team, we can be proud of, they make great role models for children starting the game now. I think the cynical play must be catching up with Tyrone mentally, your team must have an awful negative mind set in fairness for two players to strike out and get sent off during the half time break
Good point Tom on the behavior of the team overall and for them being role models.
On the Gormley incident…if thats not a “punch” I dont know, what is?
All this is a real distraction for the Tyrone team and by extension could also be for our lads…although mostly for the supporters.
However, I think James Horan has been guiding and building this core team for the past three years and will have them in the correct frame of mind leading up to, and for the match itself.
I don’t see Gormley’s inclusion or exclusion making a difference, we will still win handsomely.
Fair play to the Donegal keeper, Durkan. He could have taken out Vaughan just before he scored that goal in the last match. (Sort of off-topic, sorry).
Gormley is holding mone’s hand..then swings it punch like back into the Monaghan players face. It’s a straight red if the ref was looking.
But yeah Tyrone thrice in the old siege mentality thing…but surely we in the west have been scorned and patronised long enough to have our own ‘them v’s us’ mentality!! >:|
To be honest I’m getting tired of hearing about Tyrone in the press. It’s getting boring.
Agree mayonaze…was just thinkin though ( I do that ccasionally!) its a “proposed” one match ban…(typical GAA double speak), Tyrone has not been “officially” informed and regardless, has indicated they wil file an appeal. Its evident now why the ccc waited ~9-10 days to meet and issue a sanction. Correct me if I’m wrong but cant Gormley play while the appeal is being considered?
“It’s a straight red if the ref was looking” indeed Mayonaze and also if one of his assistants sees it. Which is exactly what happened. The assistant running in from the bottom of the screen sees it head on because he alters his run and speeds up to attempt to separate them.
“if thats not a “punch” I dont know, what is?”. I agree totally Mister Mayor. If one of us got that on the side of the jaw I think it is safe to assume we would describe it as a punch!
Either way I don’t think it matters alot. But if the GAA are truly serious about removing these types of incidents from the game then they have no option but to stand by the 1 game suspension.
What must Monaghan be thinking right now, Gormley, Penrose and Cavanagh should all have been sent off. Reff chickened out and it cost Monaghan big time.
Players will be getting suspensions for next to nothing if that ban stands. It’s yellow card max hand bag stuff…
Tom says:
August 14, 2013 at 1:56 pm
Tyrone have 2 men suspended for the next day, whether they get off on appeal or not is a different issue, but in fairness its another reason to be proud of this Mayo team, would I be right in saying no Mayo Player has got a straight red during Horans reign? In the Championship anyway?
Not sure but i remember Keith Higgins was lucky not to get red v Galway in 2011 a clear strike far worse than what Gormley did however only a yellow.
@ Ceideboy Cavanagh shouldn’t of been sent off, unless you mean for double yellows or something.
@ Tom The only straight red that comes to mind was Aidan O’Shea in the league versus Down last year, which I seem to remember was debateable enough, a high challenge I think.
MM- (off topic again); Jaysus, if they had collided one or both would have been seriously injured. Durkan was airborne.
@Tom
I think Caff got a red versus Donegal last year when we got our asses handed to us up there.
This is a interesting pice lifted from rte sport web site,——-the gaa seem intent on stopping Tyrone winning the all ireland, why dont they have a competition for the 26 counties, and abandon the six northern counties, thats what the free state are best at . Tir eoghain abu—-. wow i thought it was only Mayo people who got carried away about football , ps booking my hotel in mayo for September for the sam welcoming party
Think you have that wrong WJ, as Pebblesmeller said he has a hold of Mones hand and then struck with the aid of O’Neill hand wrapped around Mone’s neck (nothing malicious in that though, just holding him off) but the punch is deliberate and the suspension warranted IMO. The only thing is they will hit Gormley but another 5 will go without a mention. If your going to go down this road it needs to be implemented across the board and not just willy nilly as the GAA tend to do. In this regard he is unlucky.
Jesus I’ve been looking at that clip for the past 5 minutes trying to work it out.
It does look like Gormley grabs Mone’s own hand and “strikes” it towards him. Now if it’s a striking action then it’s a red card.
No idea how all these appeals work, but I’m sure if they all drag like this one then Gormley will be playing.
And so what? I want their best team out there, no excuses.
If we’re as good as we think then it doesn’t matter about the opposition players or the ref.
Let’s just worry about ourselves. So long as we pick up no injuries or suspensions then I’m happy and confident in our ability to beat any opposition.
MO2013, I don’t know what rule book you are reading. A closed fist strike to the head of an opponent is straight red. No gray area whatsoever. Now, he may have been unlucky to have been caught on TV but that is another debate.
As for the Tyrone comment on the rte website and the GAA trying to prevent them from winning, well with a bit of luck Mayo will do the job of eliminating the Northern teams for the GAA. For all the negativity surrounding the football championship this year, we are left with the 3 best footballing sides in the country in Dublin, Kerry and ourselves.
Anybody see the page Tyrone released to the press tonight?
Seemingly they are the targets of cynical fouling.
Have to laugh
Correct me if I’m wrong but cant Gormley play while the appeal is being considered?
I thought any strike be it open or closed fist is a straight red? No?
And so it begins…wat I can’t understand is why didn’t any of the refs see this on the pitch??? I can see why the Tyrone people are so angry especially when it was brought up by ciaran whelan in the sunday game but that’s wot u get when ur dealing with a team who have to resort to dirty play instead of playing the game the right and honest way.. I know we are no angels but Tyrone are a team that will rather play on the edge of the rule book and roll the dice with the ref
mayomaningalway, you are correct. I was just trying to highlight the fact that it was a closed fist to the head as opposed to the slap/shove to the face that seems to be in vogue lately.
NYC green and red, do I take from your name you are in New York?
Pebblesmeller
Watch the GIF above, Gormley pushed the hand/arm of the Monaghan player away and the Monaghan lads was slapped in the face with his own pink glove.
Lads it was push where the Monaghan player got his hit in the face by accident. It’s no different than for Diarmuid Connolly did v Donegal in 2011 and like Connolly i think Gormley should be cleared to play.
MM……..Your point about Durkan’s choice “…….to poleaxe or not to poleaxe” (my words !!) Vaughan going through is very interesting…….It all happened fairly quickly but certainly the keeper could have brought him down……I thought Vaughan was very brave in that move…….Durkan is a formidable figure but our fella ran straight at him like a car in a game of ‘chicken’ and the big keeper blinked first…..beautiful slap down of the ball and a controlled side shoe to the net…….10 out of 10 for that goal !
MO2013 I think we will have to agree to disagree. It is the kind of footage that seems more unclear the more you watch it. I believe that Gormley releases Mones hand and very cutely follows through with a punch. Gormley knew what he was at and the intention was clear.
Having said all this, I do not want Mayo getting to an All Ireland final on the excuse of a depleted opposition and to be honest whether Gormley plays or not I do not think it will make us up or down. If we are on our game and focused Tyrone can have 6 Gormleys and it will not matter.
An aside, I was talking to a mate today who is just back from a few days in Kerry. They are quietly confident down there. He was in around Fitzgearld stadium for a look and he was talking to a groundsman. The groundsman said “if Kieran gets as much ball as Sheehan did we will be beat the Dubs”. I still think the Kerry boys will take them.
Oh lads come on. what does it matter if Gormley hit him with his bare arse, who cares. If he goes , he goes. Mayo have a game to play and I’m sure there are more important things to talk about than Gormley’s suspension. We can beat them anyway.
I took another close look on that footage and i could zoom in.You can see better that gormley has his right hand on the Monaghan lads left arm.he then pushes the the Monaghan lads arm back.you can see the pink glove hit his own face and gormleys hand lands on the Monaghan lads chest after 100%. But your rite Joe mc who cares. I am sure Horan and the boys couldn’t give a flying fuck if gormley plays or not.and i bet he neither Horan or the lads spent 15 mins analysing the footage like i did thinking i was some sort of a fecking forensic scientist:)
I have no problem if you disagree Pebblesmeller however i feel you disagree because you aren’t viewing it correctly it’s also on youtube in slow if the GIF above isn’t enough. It’s yellow card no more and i repeat players will be getting suspensions for next to nothing if that Gormley ban stands.
Electrician wanted.
From Sept 23 rd till further notice.
Time for cccmiami I think.
Agree with joe mc. Couldnt care less if heplays or not.If we cant beat Tyrone forget about Kerry or Dublin.We will beat Tyrone though and then we will see.
Pebblesmeller – that aside about Kerry is a lot more interesting than the shite about Gormley, MO2013. As is said Kerry could be waiting in the long grass. I heard they haven’t mowed the grass this Summer.
@MO2013 I like to consult the rule book on these matters.
The incident could be viewed in two ways:
5.24 To engage in any other form of rough play – Yellow card. But my reading of the rule (which is within the other yellow card fouls in-game) makes me think this applies to when the ball is in play, when it was not.
5.1 To strike or attempt to strike an opponent with arm, elbow, hand or knee. — or maybe possibly 5.5 To contribute to a melee. – Red card
Did he strike or attempt to strike? It’s not 100% black and white and a matter for discretion. I don’t think it could possibly have been a yellow. It was either a red or nothing.
But the real issue here is why the CCCCCCCCCCC don’t do this for all these incidents? The cases seem to be cherry picked and not applied to all. This is the real problem here.
It’s a push (engaged in rough play) = yellow card however some refs can choose to ignore it. The CCCCC thought/think it was clear strike by Gormley which would be a clear red card.
Pebblesmeller……”thy Kingdom Come” ! 😉
Hi, Surprise, Surprise, Liam Hayes is full of praise for the Mayo football team. “Mayo for the most part remind us of great the game once was”. And Tyrone ………….
He even admires Aidan O’Shea.
Lads, Lads, Lads, let the media and Tyrone focus on the whole fouling thing and who’s suspended and who isnt, and let them create their seige mentality, and Joe Brolly work on keeping himself on the front pages – lets just focus on our side of the bargin coz none of that shite matters a damn to us.
We just need to go out, play ball like we have been playing all year and beat them.
End of story
……”thy Kingdom Come” ! very good.
Ciaran Cahill, when a Meath man like Hayes is praising us it is time to look outside for flying pigs!!! Although I do have to agree with him and it is fair to say that the 3 best footballing counties in the country are still there in the last 4, despite all the bad press.
It is true we play a fantastic brand of football and one I am very proud to watch and support. It was mentioned on here previously that the style and class of the players and management is something to be very proud of too and they are a great example to all the club players, lads and lassies, particularly the kids. I help to coach U12’s and U14’s and it is remarkable just how much influence the county senior team has on young players. I am amazed to see it and to hear and see the young ‘uns trying to replicate the senior lads is amusing. I just wish I could replicate Horans success on the sideline!!!
Going back to Kerry v Dublin, I have had a feeling for a good while that Kerry have a far better chance of taking the Dubs out than they are nationally being given credit for. I know their defense might not be what it once was but I noticed something very interesting in the Cavan game the last day. It might not have been as obvious on TV but in Croker you could see Kerry adopting a very unusual defensive tactic of dropping numbers back very quickly. This is very “un-Kerry” like as they always trust themselves in going one-on-one, to hell with systems and back their own skills to win the game. I think they were trying a number of things in preparation for the Dubs, much like we did by moving Higgins to the half forward line for the last 20 minutes of the Connaught final. The Kerry midfield might lack the power and class of an O’Se but do you think for one minute that they are going to give Macauley the freedon he got against Cork where he was allowed to fetch ball in the middle of the pitch, unchallenged, without even leaving the ground!!! Not on your life. And any forward division that can call on the 2 O’Sullivans, Cooper, Donaghy, Galvin and O’Donohue certainly has the guile and firepower to win any game. Add to this Brosnans comments that they have not been in this good physical condition for a number of years and I think that the Dubs are under-estimating the cute whoors.
Was at the in-laws last weekend in Dublin and they are barely mentioning Kerry up there. All they are talking about is the Dublin – Mayo All Ireland final. They hopefully have the Mayo bit right but I am not so sure about the other bit.
I was there pebblesmeller.I was a little shocked when i saw most of the Kerry team in their own half.I don’t think they done themselves any favours either because it just made Monaghan come at them and correct me if im wrong but Monaghan scored more in second half than in first? Clearly they were heating themselves up for the Dubs.My opinion is Kerry changing their style of play to go defensive will be their downfall.I expect Kerry to give the Dubs a good game but Dublin are just that bit better.
Twas cavan mayoman but sure all them nordie blue jersies look the same to me too
on the mayo team, have spotted two young lads on different occasions over the past few weeks around east cork out playing hurling with the mayo jersey on