The North Tipperary club have had enough of it.
All we want is a little bit of clarity. All Newport GAA club want is a little bit of clarity.
A ‘Melee’ is defined on the Oxford dictionary as a confused fight or a scuffle. When it comes to melees in the GAA, it’s fair to say that there’s a lot of confusion floating around.
Obviously, when nearly every player on the pitch swarms around for the scrap, the referee is confused as to who started what, who deserves punishment, who thrown the punches, who attempted a peacemaking mission, who deserves a card by virtue of the offence, referred to in the GAA rulebook as ‘contributing to a melee.’
Linesmen and umpires should be keeping their eyes peeled here, but often they are unwilling to call out players on their involvement, or else they just don’t see them. But there’s not much that can be done about it when there are so many players involved so maybe retrospective action based on camera footage is the best way to sort that out.
But aside from that given confusion, there’s confusion surrounding the whole concept. What the hell is a melee? Is one player fighting with another a ‘melee’? Does five players scrapping with one another constitute a ‘melee’? If there are 30 players tearing strips off each other, is that still a ‘melee’?
‘Contributing to a melee’ acquires a yellow card for a player under current rules. The last thing you want, though, is referees to be brandishing yellow cards left, right and centre when they’ve no real guidelines for what they’re supposed to be doing or what their punishments are.
Newport GAA club put forward a motion for the GAA congress later this month to quantify a ‘melee.’ They no longer want a scuffle involving less than five players to go under that bracket.
It makes sense, because if there are only three or four lads tussling, maybe they actually have a legitimate reason. Maybe the contributors are trying to pour cold water on the blazing situation.
Where’s if a lad fires himself into a scrap involving ten or 12, and throws a dig or two – this would be a lot more mischievous.
This was the motion they forward, which entails the amendment of Rule 7.2B regarding misconduct at games by players.
“That Rule 7.2 (b) Misconduct at Games by Players – Official Guide Part 1 (page 130) be amended to read as follows:
Category III (vi) “Contributing to a melee”.
The following definition will quantify a melee in relation to GAA disciplinary matters;
“A melee shall be defined as a minimum of five Persons”Rules Affected – Rule 5.21 (Hurling) and 5.19 (Football), Playing Rules, Official Guide Part 2.
(Motion allowed by Central Council to be put under Rule 3.40(a)(5))Tulach Sheasta, Tiobráid Árann”
