KERRY LEGEND PAT Spillane believes that Dublin star Diarmuid Connolly is in line for a 12-week ban.
On The Sunday Game, Spillane and fellow pundit Colm O’Rourke discussed Connolly’s altercation with linesman Ciaran Brannigan during Dublin’s victory over Carlow at O’Moore Park on Saturday night.
The GAA’s Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) could take action against the St Vincent’s star following the incident.
The GAA’s Official Guide states that any form of ‘minor physical interference’ with a match official carries a minimum 12-week suspension in all codes and at all levels.
The Category V infraction covers inter-county and would see Connolly banned until an All-Ireland semi-final, if GAA disciplinary chiefs decide to act.
The rule is as follows:
Category V Infractions 5.36: To interfere with a Referee, Umpire, Linesman or Sideline Official – minor physical interference e.g. laying a hand on, pushing, pulling or jostling.
And Spillane said: “This is black or white, this is a very obvious thing.
“Diarmuid was infuriated that a sideline decision went (against him) and not giving the ball back. The pictures here it all.
“A picture tells a thousand words, clearly going to Ciaran Brannigan the linesman, clearly putting his hand on the sideline man, which he’s not entitled to do, clearly pushing the linesman which he’s not entitled to do, and clearly, with his finger pointed, threatening the linesman.
“He put his hands on the linesman, he pushed the linesman back and a finger pointed in someone’s face sounds to me like threatening. It’s minor physical interference, it carries a penalty of 12 weeks.”
O’Rourke agreed: ”The rule is very clear. Now it was minor physical interference but Diarmuid Connolly is a man who lives on the edge.
“He’s had a couple of black cards this year, got one against Monaghan that I thought he shouldn’t have got, got one in the League final.
“That has nothing to do with that incident last night but he’s a player that gets frustrated easily, he was playing poorly, got involved in a scrape and really could pay a heavy price for it.”
O’Rourke insisted that Connolly must learn to deal with being a marked man.
He said: “Through the history of Gaelic Football, every good forward has been targeted.
It’s up to Diarmuid Connolly to have the discipline to go out and play, knowing that in every game, he’s going to be targeted by at least one of the opposition. What does he expect teams are going to do with him?”
Spillane added: ”You prod a bear, you get a reaction. You prod Diarmuid Connolly, you antagonise Diarmuid Connolly and you always get a reaction.
“In his defence, you could say the linesman didn’t bring it to the referee’s attention, you might point to the fact that perhaps the referee didn’t see it.
“But you had a similar offence in a club match with Evan Comerford, the Tipperary goalie lately. Minor physical interference with a referee, as stated here. It looks like 12 weeks.”
And former Meath All-Ireland winner O’Rourke insisted that this latest episode doesn’t portray Connolly in a good light.
He said: “He doesn’t come out of it looking good.
“For me, he’s been the best player, or one of the best players for last five or six years, but there’s always this edge to his game and he crossed the line last night (Saturday).”
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ALL top players get targeted, whether you like it or not it’s part of the game. 99% of those get on with it,hold their nerve and get on with it, like it or lump that’s how it goes. Those saying he shouldn’t be subjected to it are obviously turning a blind eye to Philly and Johnny. Can’t put your hand on an official like that.
I’m a Dub and i must admit i’m sick of Connolly’s temper tantrums and spoiled child antics.He’s acting the maggot for quite a long time at this stage.
While blessed with a natural talent i don’t even believe he deserves the credit he gets at times.The talk of one of the greats is hogwash.The greats dont act the eejit like he does and let his fellow team mates down with such regularity.How many games has he dominated anyway?I dont remember him consistently performing to a high standard in many if any All Ireland semi or final?A fleeting moment of brilluance here or there is his lot.
Diarmuid go away and have a think about your crazy ways.Take your suspension on the chin and relect.You have very little between the ears my friend.As crazy as it sounds,you are a liability and we maybe better off without you.
A great football but proven tug, even take out his on the pitch antics he was lucky not to do time for beating a person up.
12 weeks ban. End off. Now stop talking about it. You would think he nearly killed him the way he is being talked about
@Shaun Gallagher: you are the perfect embodiment of what’s wrong with the GAA when it comes to referees. Swear at a referee and you should be sent off. Touch one and you should expect to have your season ended. People should be jumping up and down about this, not moving on as you call it.
Why does Jim Gavin keep picking him when Connolly let’s him and Dublin down again and again. Connolly may be arguably the best player in the country but it’s going to cost Dublin big time some day when he inevitably gets himself sent off in a big game against Mayo or Kerry. It’s not like Dublin don’t have talented players to play in his place
@Declan Clancy: maybe Connolly pointed his finger in Gavins face and threatened him as well!!!
Spillane is a gob-shiite. Always was – always will be.
@Carl Ingalls: perhaps so. Doesn’t mean he’s not correct here, though. Connolly clearly has a serious attitude problem and maybe the lengthy suspension he’ll probably face here might finally make a difference to him. Either that, or management decide he’s a liability that can’t be risked any more. One way or the other, even the most blinkered Dubs fan has to realise that Connolly can’t continue in the same way.
@Carl Ingalls: and Diarmuid Connolly is thug. Always was – always will be.
@Carl Ingalls: And Connolly is a thug. Always was – always will be.
@Jumperoo:
He’s using his position as public pundit to orchestrate a smear campaign against the Dubs with a view to smoothing the path for his beloved Kirree.
@Carl Ingalls: not at all this is aimed at Connolly not the Dubs.. and he is right you cannot touch the refs simple
@Carl Ingalls: maybe Spillane is a gob-shite but Connelly still deserves a 12 week ban same as the Tipp goalkeeper got for minimal contact.
Connolly is a problem. Management can solve it…week, poor & indecisive management team.
@Quad Quad: Weak and poor management team?? Haha I think the over flowing trophy cabinet says otherwise.
@Ciara Baines: good management isn’t all about silverware. Put any of the so called good managers in charge of the likes of Leitrim or Longford and see how good they turn out to be. Easy to be good managers when some club teams in Dublin have more senior players than whole counties.
That aside what has Dub management done to deal with persistent indiscipline from Connolly.
Tipp hurling manager had a discipline issue with top player and cut him from panel immediately.
Touch an official and it should be a minimum 6 months not three. That should be a season ender for him, he’ll likely be free for the all Ireland final which is a joke.
The GAA are a laughing stock the way they treat their referees. Players have no respect for them and never will till the suspensions get serious.
Pat Spillane and Colm o Rourke were far too enthusiastic last night in trying to make sure Connolly gets a lenthly ban I wonder why? was their selfish reasons involved? Surely not:-):-) But these two pillars of nobility would do well to remember if you prod a bear too often the bear might put better players on the field than Diarmuid Connolly and end up giving you a right hammering.
Saturday evening it looks like Johnny Cooper got Brendan Murphy the Carlow midfielder sent off by mouthing.
Connolly should change codes, players get generally better protection by match officials in Hurling harder to target and wind up quality players
@Ciarán: wow. You clearly know very little about hurling.
@Jumperoo: Played it for 18 years and counting please tell me more about my experience with the game
@Ciarán: played both codes myself, into my 40s. Played inter county in one of them. In my experience, no difference in the amount of ‘protection’ in one over the other. Maybe your experience is different.
Four months of this shite now.
@Colm Buckley: clown