EDITORIAL: PUNISH MANAGERS FOR PLAYERS’ SINS
THE abandon with which Dublin and Kerry disrespected their own jerseys, and the game of Gaelic football itself, by brawling from the first minute to the last in Tralee last weekend did not seem to surprise many people. Most who witnessed the hotheadedness and occasional bouts of nastiness laughed it off. In fact, our GAA stars acting like gurriers is mostly accepted practice at this time of the year.
Of course, come the summer’s sun and the Championship, every team manager suddenly puts manners on their teams. What a pity these same gentlemen don’t disapprove for 12 months of the year?
The GAA itself takes this ugly, uncouth behaviour in its stride and does not seem to care that it presents damning evidence to younger audiences in particular of what is acceptable in football and hurling.
In addition to Dublin and Kerry rolling on the ground and tearing the jerseys off one another’s backs, we had Donegal and Tyrone up to the same nonsense in their annual spring derby. After examining footage of that game, the GAA’s Central Competition Controls Committee hit both counties with fines of €3,000 each. The same light wrist slap was meted out to Donegal already in this Allianz League – and Dublin and Kerry will also get fines that the footballers in both counties will laugh off.
Clearly, the GAA needs to get tougher. And in order to get the message home to players that they need to be as civilised in the spring as they are in summer, the GAA needs to get tougher with managers first of all. These are the men who actually refuse to voice any disgust at the brazen actions of their own!
Managers should be handed out hefty suspensions every time their teams disgrace themselves. Why not ban them from one game every time their team is in the CCCC’s firing line? Better still, why not give every manager a warning that ‘three strikes and you’re out’ and suspend them for the full season if their teams refuse to mend their ways. Nothing else appears to work. After watching his Donegal team act with physical abandon twice already in 2017 perhaps the likes of Rory Gallagher (pictured) would be extra careful if he knew he was on his last chance?