Gaelic Games

Galway and Dublin players to escape sanction for Fenway schemozzle

GPA don’t expect CCCC to look into fight during exhibition match in Boston

Players from both sides tussle during the game at Fenway Park. Photo: Ray McManus/Sportsfile
Players from both sides tussle during the game at Fenway Park. Photo: Ray McManus/Sportsfile
Tue Nov 24 2015 - 08:53

The GPA don't expect any disciplinary action to result from the row that livened up Sunday's AIG Fenway Hurling Classic in Boston.

However, they do say that the flash-point shows just how seriously players take the novel Super 11s game and prove that it has a real future as a promotional tool for hurling abroad.

"Rows happen in games at home, at club and inter-county level. They're not frequent, but they're a reality of a contact sport," said Gaelic Players Association spokesman Sean Potts.

When asked did he think that Croke Park’s Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) would look into the fight that broke out in front of the Dublin goal at the iconic Fenway Park during the second quarter of the weekend game he replied: “I wouldn’t expect that.

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“It was dealt with in context, three players were sin-binned and I would expect that to be the end of it.

“This format is useful for trialing new things such as the sin bin, which was used on Sunday.”

Referee Alan Kelly halted the play and referred the incident to the Television Match Official, former Cork player and manager Donal O'Grady.

The incident was replayed repeatedly on the stadium’s big screen, much to the entertainment of the 27,000-plus strong crowd in the ground.

The result was two-minute sin bin punishments for Dublin's Conor Dooley and Galway pair Iarla Tannian and Andy Smith.

“The reaction here has been interesting and overwhelmingly positive,” said Potts.

“The row was noted in the context of the occasion, but it didn’t overshadow the event and I think that’s because in a city like Boston they’re used to occasional flare-ups in games like ice hockey and baseball.

“This is a contest and teams prepare for it as they would an inter-county game at home.

“Okay, it’s a different format, but players see this as a proper battle and that was reflected in how competitive the game was.

“This was a physical game, as you would expect at inter-county level, and the players were pumped. This was not an exhibition or a friendly, but a competitive game.

“The players realised that they had a chance to showcase our game and they wanted to do that properly by ensuring it was competitive.

“The row shows how intense the players were and that they brought a level of competitiveness to the game.

“The players socialised afterwards and we all moved on.

“What we have read about the game here since has been very positive; the schemozzle was referenced, but they recognised it in the context of the game. In other words it wasn’t the main talking point. They talked about the intensity of the game.”