A 96 week ban for assaulting a ref? If I were John Keenan I would be straight to the Garda. Obviously Wicklow CCC aren't prepared to deal with it properly.

This guy should have been given a life time ban and the club kicked out for the rest of the year.

Kicking the club out for the actions of one person might sound harsh but I can guarantee it would be a deterrent.

daytona11 (Kildare) - Posts: 4012 - 21/05/2015 11:43:37    1726409

Completely agree. Ridiculously lenient in my opinion.

kinglarsson (Down) - Posts: 88 - 21/05/2015 11:51:53    1726414

That fella needs to be charged with assault separate to any ban handed down. I'd like to think Keenan has had the common sense to go to the Gardaí and press charges.

CroiGorm (Dublin) - Posts: 1547 - 21/05/2015 11:56:49    1726417

I agree, just a ban for this is unacceptable. In my opinion its a criminal offence and should be treated by the gardai.
If a proper punished was given to this thug then maybe others would think twice about even thinking about any physical violence on refs in the future

KY4SAM2015 (Kerry) - Posts: 898 - 21/05/2015 12:03:15    1726427

I'd agree also. Rules aren't enforced harshly enough in the GAA.

tyroneed (Tyrone) - Posts: 753 - 21/05/2015 12:06:08    1726430

It really reflects on the GAA authorities in Wicklow. At least 3 or 4 times a year we see incidents like this emerging from this county. I know there are good decent people involved down there but they need to sort this out.

I'd like to think the club in question will issue this person with their own seperate life time ban. But because of the clannish type of behaviour we see in some clubs this won't happen . We have those kind of clubs in Kildare also.

daytona11 (Kildare) - Posts: 4012 - 21/05/2015 12:18:02    1726441

Lads, being from wicklow, I find it funny and ironic how you all berate the leniency of the ban. I say it's funny simply because this is the hardest that the Wicklow county board has ever came down on any of these thugs. They rushed this through because they are actually attempting to gain good PR with this by saying "look at us, we're doing something about this". It's a complete joke. The county board think that that is sufficient and will now do everything they can to sweep it under the carpet. Two years ago a county under-21 had his two jaws broken in a senior league match in an off the ball assault and the offender only received a ONE MONTH ban! After this, his club tried to object the leniency of the ban but they weren't allowed. They then tried to discuss it at a county board meeting and were refused y the top table as "the issue had been dealt with". This is what you're up against in Wicklow. I was shocked to see that player back playing the next year. I wouldn't have came back after the way he was treated.

If I was John Keenan I wouldn't come back either. I was at the game and the referee had a good game. It was an extremely tough game to ref since both clubs are bitter parish rivals and it was the rematch of the previous year where Baltinglass' second team had beaten Stratford/Grangecon's first team in the IFC and the same result occurred on this occasion. The ref deservedly sent off one player from each team and kept the match relatively clean. This is all besides the point because, no matter how good or bad they performed, no referee or player deserves to be assaulted for any reason.

Wicklow needs an IMF style intervention from the GAA or nothing will ever change. How can it when the same backward thinking people cling on to their county board positions year in year out like a musical chairs game at the top table and any outsider is silenced when they try to oppose.

wonderingabout (Wicklow) - Posts: 181 - 21/05/2015 13:05:12    1726488

Goes back to the fact Andrew Shore was originally given a years ban for playing illegaly and this guy gets two years for assaulting a referee, the inconsistency is inbelievable a life ban should have been given

Colinog (UK) - Posts: 39 - 21/05/2015 13:13:00    1726500

Time the GAA protected officials, I often done umpire job at club matches but never again, the amount of abuse I and other officials received from players, managers and supporters is shocking, even a robot wouldn't stick it. I wouldn't allow any member of my family to help out at a match. Anybody that abuses an offical whether its verbal or physical should be banned for life and club thrown out of championships and relegated to the lowest divisions possible and no way of overturning this decision

riverboys (Mayo) - Posts: 1389 - 21/05/2015 13:41:53    1726525

Sure he will be at a match next week. Just like the Duffry Rover supporter who hit John Denton was. It is a joke.

Pinkie (Wexford) - Posts: 4100 - 21/05/2015 13:59:24    1726546

Maybe one of our Rugby friends that are involved at a local level can help us?

In big games no player ever abuses a ref or really questions him. If they do it's a sin bin. Is it like that at a local level in Rugby?

The rules are black and white when it comes down to verbal abuse of a ref, yet if a ref sends a chap off for mouthing he gets berated.

We all, as an organisation need to get behind refs and other officials and eradicate what is essentially a cancer in the game.

daytona11 (Kildare) - Posts: 4012 - 21/05/2015 14:25:24    1726568

Disgrace that this thug escaped with a 2 year ban.I would give him a 5 year ban,providing he hasnt done the same thing before.If he has id ban him from playing for good.Headbutting is a nasty,cowardly act than can cause a bit of damage.The referees up and down the country do a thankless job.As long as ive been on hoganstand ive refused to criticise a referee.They are brave men,doing a very difficult job who deserve respect.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 21/05/2015 15:04:37    1726604

Lifetime ban in my opinion. No room in our games for this sort of carry on

Doylerwex (Wexford) - Posts: 2625 - 21/05/2015 15:27:54    1726621

looking at the websites and facebooks of the two clubs involved it's amazing how neither condemn the attack. Maybe that would be a good place to start. They don't have to name names.

daytona11 (Kildare) - Posts: 4012 - 21/05/2015 15:28:56    1726622

I dont know about the "leniency" of a 2 year ban. Two years is a long time without football. This is actually the first time I've heard about the incident but in the heat of the moment anyone can do anything. I think after a two year ban this unnamed player would just ultimately quit football all together or had a long time to think of what that moment of red mist has cost him.

Find_the_space (Tyrone) - Posts: 313 - 21/05/2015 15:51:13    1726645

Find_the_space
County: Tyrone
Posts: 75

1726645
I dont know about the "leniency" of a 2 year ban. Two years is a long time without football. This is actually the first time I've heard about the incident but in the heat of the moment anyone can do anything. I think after a two year ban this unnamed player would just ultimately quit football all together or had a long time to think of what that moment of red mist has cost him.

He wasn't a player Find_the_space, he was a supporter.

CroiGorm (Dublin) - Posts: 1547 - 21/05/2015 16:00:24    1726652

Find_the_space
County: Tyrone
Posts: 75

1726645 I dont know about the "leniency" of a 2 year ban. Two years is a long time without football. This is actually the first time I've heard about the incident but in the heat of the moment anyone can do anything. I think after a two year ban this unnamed player would just ultimately quit football all together or had a long time to think of what that moment of red mist has cost him.

Says in the report on hoganstand that it was a spectator. Not necessarily a player. If the individual doesn't play and is just a spectator, how is such a ban enforced?

kinglarsson (Down) - Posts: 88 - 21/05/2015 16:10:16    1726660

Find_the_space it's not a player who assaulted the ref. It was a forty or fifty something year old spectator. That makes it worse in my opinion. The ref was on concrete wearing boots and was head butted without warning and fell backwards and hit his head off of the concrete. It is no exaggeration to say he very easily could have been killed. When he stood up he was bleeding heavily from the nose.

Now that you know the facts, would you still say it was a harsh ban?

wonderingabout (Wicklow) - Posts: 181 - 21/05/2015 16:13:43    1726664

find_the_space,
What are you on about,heat of the moment rubbish.
Lots of sports where there is high intensity,heavy contact and whatever else you want but you can't say its somehow understandable to assault a ref because you were in the moment. Whether he's a player or not the same applies.

This clown will be at a game next week probably considering the gob****** running some clubs and the lack of interest from officials in the GAA.

Dubh_linn (Dublin) - Posts: 2312 - 21/05/2015 17:39:32    1726728

This is not a GAA matter, It's a criminal matter and should be dealt with accordingly.
If It did not take place on the field of play or during a match then The gardai should deal with it. anyone who wishes can make a complaint to the Gardai and they have todeal with it. This man is a danger to the public.

s goldrick (Cavan) - Posts: 5518 - 21/05/2015 18:09:25    1726740