Tuesday 25 March 2008

Punishment doesn't fit the crime

One thing I would like to see changed in our games are the punishments handed out based on red cards.
At the moment a player faces an automatic ban for a straight red which usually is reserved by referees to be fair for players committing bad fouls or for striking.
However, the fact that someone receiving two yellows faces no other punishment other than missing the remainder of the game they are playing in doesn't stack up.
To use the example of the two Dublin players given their marching orders on Sunday Mark Vaughn to me deserved a straight red for his hit on Damian Freeman as elbowing a man in the face who is on a run always risks inflicting serious injury.
As it was Vaughn got a second yellow and although his sending off could have sank his team it is for me a case where the punishment won't fit the crime.
In the second instance Bryan Cullen literally wrestled an opponent to the ground in the dying moments of the game, and he was sent off for a second bookable offence, his only punishment missing around three minutes of that game.
Cullen stopped a Monaghan attack in full flight by his foul and under the current rules he did what any player would have done.
We were all brought up with the advice ringing in our ears to foul the man out the field and before the cards we were all aware that we could be booked every week as long as we weren't sent off.
The introduction of the yellow card hasn't changed this as there is currently no penalty points system based around yellows and you can collect them like stamps and not pay the price.
Maybe we should have a system like in soccer where points accumulate with the cards until you reach suspension.
Our punishments at times for amateur players are too rigid given that three months for example can end a season but if we are to crack down on cynical fouls like that of Bryan Cullen's this week then we need to have a real penalty for this type of transgression.

2 comments:

ronanmul said...

I agree with you about Vaughn's sending off. The picture in the Irish Independent captures it perfectly--definitely not just a yellow card. http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/vaughan-sent-packing-as-finlay-saves-monaghan-1325968.html

Always nice to read the thoughts of a fellow GAA blogger--there's not many out there.

All the best,

Ronan

http://realgaa.blogspot.com/

Sean Mag Uidhir said...

Watched it a couple of times Ronan on Sunday night and it got worse with every viewing.
I think the double yellow is a cop out for some referees.
Will touch base with your blog.
Sean