You’re supposed to condemn these things.
There are kids watching and it’s not in the ethos of the game. It’s not what the GAA is all about. It’s not manly – it’s manlier to just go out and win your individual battle and do it by playing football. Anything else?
It’s a tough gig for someone on live TV to offer a justification for a melee, mid-melee. But not even in the aftermath does anyone fancy playing down the outrage or offering any sort of reasoning as to why these men all came hurling in.
Caolan Mooney sees it as a good thing. As much as everyone in the media likes to condemn these skirmishes, players condemn those who didn’t bother their arse to back up their team mates and, in a superb interview with The GAA Hour, Mooney gave the refreshing reality.
“A bit of a scuffle started but everyone in a Down jersey was in – as for Armagh – but it’s good to see that sort of commitment because you can sort of question sometimes if a county player has that,” the Mourne man said.
“Obviously if it’s a club player, it’s one in, all in so it’s good to see at county level as soon as one was in, everyone came in and defended each other. It shows a good unity between the team.
“We’ll probably do a review of the game on Tuesday and you’ll be looking to see if anyone didn’t go in because that would be pointed out as if to say, ‘why didn’t you go in to defend your team mates?’
“People on the outside looking in say that’s not good for the game but, on the inside, it just shows a want to win and that everyone is there for each other and everyone is willing to do anything to make sure we get the win.”
Listen to Mooney’s brilliantly honest interview on The GAA Hour below from 22:00.
