Mick Mahon

[Lea-Bally-man]

I read in the Iresh Independent that Squirt Mahon got a few slaps at an U-21 match in Offaly

[Hocker]

I read in the Iresh Independent that Squirt Mahon got a few slaps at an U-21 match in Offaly

It's spelt 'Squart' not squirt.

Shinrone are going to be in serious bother over this.. What's worse is that the individual from Shinrone also punched a trainee Guard from Rynaghs - I wont mention his name just in case. The referee received a serious punch to the neck/shoulder knocking him to the ground & which left severe bruising. Both incidents were witnessed by Gardai in the stand also. Be interesting to see how this all pans out.. Shinrone are very reluctant to release the name of the assailant. But it's all gone into the referees match report and submitted to the county board.

Regardless of how a game finishes up, albeit sometimes with controversy, no referee ever goes out to 'Do' a team and this kind of behaviour has no place in the GAA... I hope justice is served in this instance.

[Lone Shark]

I know it's natural to protect your own, but even so....

Shinrone are very reluctant to release the name of the assailant.

If this is true, they won't be allowed to carry on with that for too long. Setanta hurling club in Donegal was basically the same issue - they tried to protect an individual, so the whole club got banned for a year until they relented.

There really is no excuse for this. Anything less than at the bare minimum a two year ban for the guilty party here would be an affront to refs everywhere.

[Kevin]

This stuff is unbelieveable.

Do the refs need an escort off the field?

Cavemen...

[Lone Shark]

I see a report on Hogan Stand suggesting that both Shinrone and Ballyskenach have been barred from competing at u-21 level for two years for failing to reveal the name of the assailant in this case.

I will qualify what I'm about to say by saying that obviously if the assailant is in fact unknown then that changes matters, but based on the report from Hocker (who would be reasonably close to the matter here) and by all accounts that's not the issue.

If that is the case, barring two clubs from competing at Under 21 (where with all due respect they would be odds on to only play three or four games over two years anyway) is a woefully inadequate punishment. There is little or no incentive here for either club to recant. I stress again that if there has been some dodgy reporting here and the assailant is not as well known to all involved as it appears then things change, but if there is an actual cover up here nothing other than (a) a ban on competing in the senior championship and (b) compulsory relegation to intermediate for both clubs is adequate.

I don't care who knows who. Knowing Squart, I very much doubt that he'll be looking for a criminal conviction here, so it's just an issue of making sure that the person involved gets the suspension they deserve. I won't lie, the idea of underage players being made suffer to protect this kind of thug makes my blood boil. A heavy punishment would ensure that the clubs would see sense and name the individual, this kind of punishment makes it very uncertain as to whether that will happen.

[Hocker]

If that is the case, barring two clubs from competing at Under 21 (where with all due respect they would be odds on to only play three or four games over two years anyway) is a woefully inadequate punishment.

Ls.. I agree with your point totally.. The punishment handed down by the county board is piss poor.
I'd also like to officially state that the assailant's name is known to the Gardai & club members alike(He was wearing a shinrone tracksuit top for God's sake)!!!

I don't care who knows who. Knowing Squart, I very much doubt that he'll be looking for a criminal conviction here, so it's just an issue of making sure that the person involved gets the suspension they deserve.

On the money.. The guards wanted to file a report on the incident as not only the ref but a member of the Rynaghs panel(A trainee cop himself) was also badly assaulted. All he's looking for here is that the culprit come forward and take his punishment on the chin, just like other people had to take his fist on the chin that evening.
If yer man had any balls he'd come forward, own up, and take responsibility for his actions. Whether that happens now is another thing.

It also must be pointed out that Shinrone categorically deny any knowledge of the assailant, and are seeking their clearance from the Leinster council - What a joke. They're only digging a bigger hole for themselves, also allowing their club to be dragged down to the level of the bollocks who created the whole mess for them in the first place!!

[Offalys Future]

My view on this is the following:

The county board have to take serious action here,
we in Offaly cant condone behaviour like that.
Both clubs should be suspended from all hurling activity in the county until the culprit comes forward.
Is there a rule that says that suspension can only be at that grade and that is why only their u-21 teams have been suspended?

Just in regards to the incident itself, maybe i am way off the mark here but it must be a hurler that striked the referee, maybe not hurler on the day but a hurler from Shinrone that was a spectator.
If he owns up to this he will be suspended for the year and Shinrone will be without him, if he doesnt then he is free to hurl for the rest of year.

How Shinrone officials can go to a meeting and say they dont know who it was is beyond me.
Cowardness of the highest degree.

[TheManFromFerbane]

To be honest I reckon if any group in the GAA ever had a right to go on strike its the refs.

The have to put up with a lot of sh*t. And then when something like this happens the county board won't back them up.

See just how many GAA games are played without the refs!