Concern over ‘loophole chasing’ for suspensions in GAA

Kieran Leddy, CEO of the Munster Council, has expressed concern at the continuing trend of loophole chasing when it comes to accepting disciplinary penalties in the GAA.

Leddy wants to see the GAA disciplinary system tidied up to create a culture where suspensions are accepted rather than the long-standing tendency to appeal and challenge rulings.

Writing in his annual report ahead of Friday night’s Munster convention in Killarney, Leddy states: “A worrying aspect of the attitude to discipline in the association occurs when clubs and counties know that a player did wrong but try to ‘get him off’ by hoping to spot some technicality or other which might lead to an appeal succeeding.”

Leddy uses the example of John Mullane accepting his red card in 2004 as the exception rather than the rule when it comes to how players and officials view disciplinary penalties.

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“It is the failure to accept that the player was wrong and deserves a suspension that shows our attitude to ill-discipline is not what it should be,” continues Leddy.

“Winning is more important, so there is an acceptance that ill-discipline can be tolerated. John Mullane, the outstanding Waterford forward of that great generation of Deise players, once famously elected to accept his suspension and not seek a hearing, saying that ‘when you do the crime, you do the time’.

“This was an example of outstanding leadership. It is more of this that we need, and I believe we need to get our disciplinary process to a place where all that matters is whether the particular infraction was committed or not.

“I fully support the proposals going to Congress to address this issue. Baring a blatant miscarriage of justice, technicalities must stop suspensions being overturned, and appeals based on flimsy technical matters that fail, should see the suspension increased.”

Leddy also addresses the issue of referees receiving verbal and physical abuse, something which has hung over the GAA like a dark cloud during autumn and winter.

“We are slowly sailing towards a situation where we will not have enough referees to manage the enormous games programme of the GAA, not to mention the enormous games programme of the two Ladies Gaelic Games Associations,” warns Leddy.

“It is high time we instilled a culture of acceptance of refereeing decisions, and this must start from the ground up.

“2022 saw a number of well publicised incidents of ill-discipline, both on and off the field. These incidents are a blight on our great association, and each one doesn’t just affect the clubs and players involved but impacts on all members. The newspaper headlines reflect very poorly on the GAA, and we all, by association, are connected to these headlines.”

Throughout a wide-ranging report, Leddy also discusses the issues with grading at minor and under-20 level, growing closer links with the LGFA and Camogie Association, while also suggesting the GAA should consider getting involved in more multi-sport stadiums.

“It may be the case in future, that we may need to look more towards quality and less on quantity. It is better to have a compact small-scale stadium that can be managed than a large one that can’t,” states Leddy.

“Municipal grounds may also need to become part of the equation too. What would be wrong with a facility owned by a City Council that all sports use when needed? This model has been successfully used in other codes in the country, so why not the GAA?

“Our association will always need its own playing facilities for the playing of all Gaelic Games codes at club level, but this is not necessarily the case for the playing of large-scale fixtures at intercounty level.”