Tomsmith here

Having watched a lot of live Gaa games and also seen a lot on the Television and read comments made by a County manager after a final I just wonder has the Physical side to a Gaa game now somewhat diminished to be replaced by a Verbal on field battle.
While this not an entirely new departure I would love to hear from some current players of the type of stuff that is passed from the opponent to try and get a player sent off.
It would be too much of a coincidence to think that it just happens in the heat of battle or that one County seems to have perfected it.
I did not hear any player representative come out and condemn this type of activity, so I am to take it that who do not condemn something are for it
Let some current player comeout and let us know.
I don't see any player association coming out to say that it should not happen and condem it

tomsmith (Cavan) - Posts: 3856 - 19/05/2015 10:26:05    1725320

We all know the counties that are most responsible for this utter blight on the game we love. You only have to look at the carry on during the game in Ballybofey on Sunday or at the U-21 All Ireland a couple of weeks ago. It seems to be endemic in Ulster football and appears to be part of the culture of the game there.

Its cowardly and disgusting and any player that makes it integral to his game should not be left near a county panel. There was always a little verbal abuse in the game when a player missed an easy chance of something. However what has crept into the game in the last 5-10 years is sickening. You all heard Benny Coulter on the Sunday Game talking about some of the stuff he was subjected to about his family, friends etc. Look at the reports of players finding out their opponents mobile number and writing it on their hand. The Sunday Game was able to highlight the 'special attention' Michael Murphy had to cope with last Sunday, why can't his opponent be retrospectively banned for a hefty 2-3 months because of it? That would soon curb this *****.

TheHermit (Kerry) - Posts: 6354 - 19/05/2015 10:52:57    1725340

I agree that i has come into the game yes, but sean Cavanagh is the only person to come out and say its affecting the game, i have to say i get it at club football, got it at Schools football and College football its part of it and i give as much as i got but i don't think its a massive problem. Sunday was good game take the half time out of it there was nothing serious. I think maybe we should be looking at different things like restructure of the Championship!

youngfella27 (Armagh) - Posts: 110 - 19/05/2015 10:55:59    1725341

Hi tomsmith - Offside_Rule here.

Can't tell you what sweet nothings get whispered in to the ears of the modern day footballer but I wouldn't imagine its anything different or worse than the sort of stuff I would have heard 20 odd years ago when I was playing. Think people are just a lot more sensitive these days and I blame society in general for this for wrapping the young ones in the current generation up in cotton wool while they were being brought up. I also blame social media as nothing is sacred anymore - you can't give a player a good aul tongue lashing or a poke without it being around the country before you've even got out of the shower and changed. Also think that Ireland cricketers have to accept some responsibility as before they started to actually do well on the world stage no one had heard the term sledging before, bar around Christmas time when we all headed to uncle Jimmys for a days fun on his big slope. Suddenly a win or two in the 20/20s and the term is getting thrown round like accusations at a Marriage referendum debate.

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 19/05/2015 10:57:02    1725343

It is a race to the bottom with this nonsense. Whatever happened to having a bit of class? Talking garbage to someone off the ball has little effect anyway.

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts: 16187 - 19/05/2015 11:04:23    1725350

There should be no acceptance of this behavior, it must be penalized and it should be the responsibilities of all mentors to prevent this rubbish. It has no place in real sport. I do not care if it has been going on for decades in other venues, it is simply rubbish.

lostintime (USA) - Posts: 533 - 19/05/2015 11:09:57    1725359

Speaking on two different levels ,
Firstly in my playing days over twenty years ago , it was industrial language , you cheating , Feeckk in , &&&&&&&&%%% son of a ***** go near tha ball and I will blah blah blah , happened against some teams more than others ,
My sons play u15 and minor and will regularly tell me of sledging , it doesn't seem different to what I would've encountered .
Now we move onto the inter county scene , it seems to me its not off the cuff , its calculated , its not someone expressing their own anger/passion but someone looking to get a reaction . I didn't play inter county 20 years ago , so is whats been said new or same as years ago I dodnt know . I will say this it appears to me that theres very little respect for opposing teams , the love me bull**** in the papers disappears when hitting the field , and no low is low enough .

Damothedub (Dublin) - Posts: 5193 - 19/05/2015 11:12:47    1725363

Very Good interview from Sean Kavanagh. Best Punishment I could think of would be to name and shame perpetrators, This would be very effective if what they said was shameful and the victim was prepared to go public with what exactly was said. Perpetrator's chances of handy money from advertising endorsements might take a nosedive. Nothing as hurtful as losing money.

Ashrules (Dublin) - Posts: 518 - 19/05/2015 11:18:49    1725369

I was under the impression that the black card was supposed to apply in situations like these.

I was in Ballybofey on Sunday & you could see it going on all over the field & I don't like it, but until the officials are prepared to do something about it nothing will change.

I have no problem with a comment here & there, you will never stamp it out completely but when I saw Mark McHugh running over to roar at a Tyrone player who was on the ground I had to wonder to myself where is the ref here.

In the 2012 final Maurice Deegan stamped on rough play in the first ten minutes by flashing yellow cards round the place & that was the end of that. If the umpires & linesmen helped the ref out by reporting instances of sledging & black cards resulted I am sure the worst of it would die away.

Relying on the players themselves won't work.

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 19/05/2015 11:32:07    1725379

For as long as I've been playing, it's always been a part of the game and whilst it doesn't make it right, it's never really bothered me. I've been called everything under the sun and I just laugh it off, the old "sticks and stones" analogy comes to mind. Just get a few scores off your marker and boom, he'll quieten down then ~PHS

Pope_has_spoken (Dublin) - Posts: 138 - 19/05/2015 11:35:29    1725381

I stuck this in the Tyrone - Donegal thread by mistake.. Nothing a copy and paste won't fix!

Well it looks like 'sledging' has become the new buzzword for the GAA in 2015 then after the Donegal - Tyrone game!! Funny how 12 months ago, hardly anyone had even heard of the word, but now the GAA has a sledging epidemic on their hands!! It's a silly word that crept into cricket a few years ago, the Aussies are notorious for it. And now we have stolen it from the cricketers... Shameful!

It has always been in the game for as long as I've been playing. Even from under 14 level you would get it. I don't think it's there any more than it used to be. It is no worse at club level now than what it was 10 years ago. The Donegal - Tyrone game was an intense local derby championship game with a fair bit of tension because of how much was at stake. But I don't think there was really any more verbals than when they met over the last few years or even going back 20 years. It is a problem yes, but I don't think it is no more prevalent than it used to be. I agree with Sean Cavanagh, once you cross the boundary into really really personal stuff about a player then it becomes a huge problem.

To me, it just seems talking about sledging is all the rage at the moment. Pity we didn't have something more significant to be chatting about. Wait until this time next year, there will be a new buzzword and a new epidemic on the GAA's hands.

HandballRef (Donegal) - Posts: 520 - 19/05/2015 11:35:38    1725383

I'd agree. People should conduct themselves with more class and no-one should be personally insulting an opposition player. There should be some punishment if proven but in the first instance players themselves should behave properly not out of fear of punishment but out of a desire to be sporting.

tyroneed (Tyrone) - Posts: 753 - 19/05/2015 11:46:48    1725389

Lets get things in perspective here. Sledging is in every team sport and has been around forever. Mick Mackey and Christie Ring the two finest hurlers to ever play the game had no problem dishing it out and no problem taking it. Its usually the losing team that complains about it.
Lets say the GAA decide to ban this "Blight". How would you do that?? Whats sledging anyway...will there be a free for any comment. Say im a back and my man misses an easy point and I take the opportunity to say the following "Excuse me sir, id like to point out that my granny would have scored that, and you are going to replaced soon as I can see movement on your bench". Is that a black card offense iv committed or a free on goal??

BanTarleton (Clare) - Posts: 181 - 19/05/2015 11:49:30    1725392

Pleeeeeeaaaaaassssssssseeeeeeeeeee.

I suggest that if folk are so sensitive these days that they perhaps should take up croquet.

There has always been an element of sledging along with a lot of other stuff in the game. I last lined out some 15 or more years and I remember the last game I played and there was plenty being said including a penalty taker being heavily sledged before going to take his kick - this stuff has always been there and in my opinion, as has already been said, social media and the media in general are the ones making a big deal out of this along with over sensitive individuals and folk who probably have never taken to the field.

Whatever happened to using bad tackles, verbals, unsporting conduct to drive you even harder than you are already going?

Naysayer (Antrim) - Posts: 2071 - 19/05/2015 11:58:01    1725397

Early cards issued by the ref. Name and shame. That should sort out a lot of it. But players will do it to some degree or other. It is when it gets personal it becomes a massive problem. Years ago a fatality was brought up by a laois player to a donegal player in a league semi.A similar thing happened when meath played cork in the all ireland final back in the late 80s. Needless to say it was extremely personal. There is a big difference between this sort of sledging or family reference, and the less severe form of it which has always been in the game as far as I can see.

Donegalman (None) - Posts: 3830 - 19/05/2015 11:59:30    1725399

Is this forum for real. Are you guys realy suggesting that a player be black carded for sledging. Lets get over ourselves here. Sledging and verbals are what they are "Sticks and stones..ect". Infact some of the greatest players in all sports were good at it..numerous cricketers and association football players. Mick Mackey and Christie Ring our two greatest ball players were renowned for it.
I do recognise that there will be players who will go very low. Before that could be resolved physically but in the sanitised game we have today thats not possible so there is an issue there. We are as an association haemorraging kids to rugby which has left GAA miles behind with its physicality. In Limerick where rugby is king in the city, rugby boys are no longer playing hurling in the summer to any large extent because they give away frees left right and centre.
Bring back the physical contact and sledging will be regulated.

BanTarleton (Clare) - Posts: 181 - 19/05/2015 12:00:27    1725400

BanTarleton I'd say that polite comment would not count as sledging. It reminds me of the time that soccer fan said to Cantona "Off Off Cantona. Go and take an early shower".

Anyway that's why I think the key is for players themselves to take more responsibility and be sporting. It's difficult for a ref to know what was said.

tyroneed (Tyrone) - Posts: 753 - 19/05/2015 12:02:24    1725402

Donegalman fair enough a fatality for me would be crossing the line and not something I ever heard and I also agree early yellow card could make a massive difference to the goings on in the way todays games are played out in general.

Naysayer (Antrim) - Posts: 2071 - 19/05/2015 12:03:15    1725404

Stick microphones on them, only way to truly prove our boys are as good as gold!

Punishment afterwards if its decided they go to far with the abuse.

Whether or not its too far to be decided by a panel of the Da Lai Lama and Frankie Boyle

redhanddefender (Tyrone) - Posts: 913 - 19/05/2015 12:03:39    1725405

Time to take the responsibility of dealing with this away from the referees who have a hard enough job as it is and on to the management teams.

brendtheredhand (Tyrone) - Posts: 10897 - 19/05/2015 12:04:57    1725407