Oisin McConville has urged the GAA to issue severe punishments to those involved in the brawl between Armagh and Galway in order to deter other sides from replicating the scenes.
The fight on the full-time whistle – which yielded red cards for Armagh’s Aidan Nugent and Galway’s Sean Kelly – marred what was an epic quarter-final from which the Connacht champions emerged victorious after penalties.
“There’s an onus now on the authorities to make sure that this doesn’t happen again,” McConville said.
“That there’s protocols there and that the punishment that’s meated out to teams is severe and enough of a deterrent to make sure that this never ever happens again.”
Players and members of both panels were involved in the violent melee during which a member of the Armagh panel appeared to gouge the eyes of Galway forward Damien Comer.
Speaking on Sportsound Extra Time, which airs at 18:05 BST on Monday on BBC Radio Ulster, McConville echoed Armagh manager Kieran McGeeney’s desire to avoid a “trial by social media” but warned of heavy sanctions to come.
“There’s one individual in Armagh who obviously was accused of the eye-gouging. There’s two things about that: that young lad made a mistake and he’ll have to pay.
“I think it’s right that he pays as in suspension, but I also think that trial by social media is not the way to answer this, we’re talking about a human being here. Show me an individual who hasn’t made a mistake. It was spur of a moment and all of those things.”
The incident occurred as both teams made their way down the tunnel to prepare for extra-time as a pulsating 70 minutes ended with Armagh’s Rian O’Neill kicking a sensational last-gasp free to draw his side level.
After the game Orchard boss McGeeney questioned the decision to send both teams down the same tunnel and suggested that separating the two would be an easy way to avoid such situations.
“Both teams going down the same tunnel after what was such a physical, highly-charged, do-or-die encounter at Croke Park never was a good idea,” McConville agreed.
“I’m not going to sit here and blame Croke Park, officials or anyone else on what happened.
“People like to use the word ‘unsavoury’ because that sort of gets you out of jail, but it was disgusting.
“I think there’s going to be some hefty suspensions, and I think on this occasion they’ll have to be accepted for what they are.
“There’s a thing in the GAA where every time someone is suspended we appeal it, but whatever is meated out on this occasion we have to take it on the chin, suck it up and learn from it – that’s the most important thing.”
Armagh were involved in similar incidents during league meetings with Tyrone and Donegal, and successfully appealed against the bans handed out to three of their players after the Letterkenny melee.
“I think the whole disciplinary system needs to be looked at, addressed and rectified,” McConville continued.
“I do think there’s an issue with it in the GAA. The only realistic way to stamp it out is meaty suspensions and when we suspend people they’re accepted.
“That’s a real change in mindset and a real change in culture. That’s not something that people are going to accept; everybody thinks they’re in the right.”
‘Players must be accountable for actions’
The subject of player responsibility, and to what extent the team management should be expected to ensure such flashpoints do not escalate, was a major post-match talking point.
In a fiery post-match press conference McGeeney posed the question to reporters: “What happens if somebody pushes you? Do you push back? What would you do?”
“I think in a situation like this it has to have been talked about because this is not the first incident involving Armagh,” McConville said.
“Armagh being involved in that incident yesterday, a lot of people will look straight back at the management but I think you’re talking about players who are trying to achieve something that hasn’t been achieved in a very long time.
“You’re talking about tensions running high and I think it’s an individual’s responsibility as much as it’s a manager’s responsibility.
“The management can create a culture within the team and I’m sure the last thing Armagh wanted yesterday was for that to materialise going down the tunnel.”
