Opinion: Time for a new mission

By Michael McMullan

I have never met Derek Kent but I have one simple message for the incoming GAA President.

It’s time to clean up the ugly side of the game. We can’t keep going on with all these brawls and various incidents of alleged assaults.

As Gaels, everyone is getting tarred with the same broad brush by many on the outside.

To be fair, such incidents are in the minority when you compare it against the volume of games. That doesn’t make it any less of an issue.

Remember the “one punch can kill” campaign that was brought in to raise awareness of the dangers of head injury.

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It was something Ulster GAA endorsed two years ago, appealing for people to think before they act.

There is one problem though. When the red mist descends in the heat of a game, for some, all rational thinking goes out the window.

It’s hard to imagine anyone reading these words not having attended at least one game where tempers have spilled over.

In recent weeks, various videos have been circulated with footage showing rows. Some have even been at underage games.

A recent high-profile one involved a referee being helped to his feet before being escorted off the field after being at the bottom of a brawl at an underage match.

I was at a game a few years back when a fight began that spilled over both on and off the pitch.

As the blows were traded, all I could think of was the amount of concrete in the vicinity. Terracing. Steps. Benches. What if someone stumbled, fell and banged their head.

It got worse when a teenage girl appealed to her father to stop fighting.

I think back to a separate night, a few years earlier, when former Derry star Kevin McCloy collapsed with a heart attack during a championship game.

Prayer

The murmur of quiet prayer echoed through the Owenbeg stand as medics acted quickly to save Kevin’s life.

All I could think about was Kevin saying goodbye to his wife and children on his way out the door to the game.

“Please let Kevin get home to see his family tonight,” I muttered as I prayed.

My mind began to wander further. Surely this will shake everyone enough to realise that everyone – players, referees, fans – who attends a game is a real person with a family and with loved ones.

It didn’t matter. I was at a club championship game later that weekend. There were people roaring all sorts over the fence and in every direction.

There are so many level-headed people in the GAA. That’s why it runs so well. Those who coach kid, who run summer camps, who offer help at a wake in the hour of need.

There is so much value. There is community spirit. That’s why it has become the heartbeat of the country.

However, there is a dark side. The scenes of violence that spills from the minority hit the airwaves and leave the association tinged.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the needle that creeps into sport stemming from the genuine will to win. We all do. Players bounce off each other, there may be the odd late tackle but there is a handshake and an embrace after it.

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The game might then be dissected over a cuppa or a pint and people can move on.

There is a massive difference between pushing and shoving when neither team wants to back down. That’s called a competitive edge.

Once a punch is thrown, that’s different. That’s where Derek Kent needs to get the association’s house in order.

The first thing he should do is take out all the carpet and any brushes. We can’t allow those who thrive on the appeal culture to question team sheets that aren’t signed in Irish or find fault when someone is called Paddy instead of Patrick.

Another move is limiting the amount of non-playing personnel permitted inside the wire. Referees should refuse to throw in the ball if there is a small army of selectors and hangers on. That’s simple.

Thirdly, referees must move the ball forward 50 metres every time they are 100 per cent sure someone in the opposition squad or management verbally abuses someone.

It needs to be consistent with an important caveat. Referees must also treat people with respect too.

If an assessor in attendance witnesses a ball taken forward 50 metres in the wrong, the referee must be marked down. That’s only fair. Respect is a two-way street.

Another key point, and even more importantly, the GAA must rule with an iron fist on every brawl. Every ground nowadays has at least one green Veo camera scanning every move.

There needs to be a stringent level of punishment. These scenarios should never be welcome. A tough challenge when the ball is there is different. Violence and fighting…no. One punch can kill.

The GAA must also employ a team of lawyers to take a deep look at the rule book for any loop holes. Without carpet, the brush is useless.

I’ll go further. Anyone who unsuccessfully appeals their ban should have their sentence doubled.

We can’t keep on appealing everything that moves. There has to be ownership of wrongdoing.

Nobody wants to take the physicality out of our games. That would dilute it into something with no taste.

Thuggery is different. That’s why I’d love Derek Kent to devote whatever hours he has to putting an end to this blight.

Any thoughts: m.mcmullan@gaeliclife.com