Colm O’Rourke: “The Common Denominator is Armagh, Pure & Utter Thuggery”

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The former Meath footballer Colm O’Rourke was speaking on this week’s RTE GAA podcast and had a strong opinion when it came to Armagh and their bust up with Galway at the weekend.

“People are trying to use nice words but for me it was just pure thuggery, and it should be called out as such.

“People shouldn’t be saying teams need to go in different entrances. Soccer and rugby teams walk in beside each other at half-time. Why do they not beat the living daylights out of each other?

“The common denominator unfortunately in this has been Armagh this year. This is the third incident they have been involved in. They were involved in a very big incident a few years ago at U20 level when 10 players were suspended.

“The responsibility for players and discipline falls back on a county board. And if a county board continually appeals the decision by a central body then they’re basically saying to their players, ‘you can do what you like and we will back you and try to get you off’.

“We had the incident with Tyrone earlier in the year where five players were sent off for contributing to a melee. And then when Armagh had the problem with Donegal, they appeal and got their players off.

“The rule of law did not apply, the referees were undermined. You had a Central Hearing Committee undermining the decision of another GAA body. It has brought about a shambolic situation.

“If those suspensions had stuck earlier in the year I’m quite sure we’d have a much better level of discipline. I feel really sorry for the referees in these particular cases, that it’s been brought to this level. If they make a decision and send it in, it’s very likely to be overturned, as we have seen in hurling as well.”

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36 Comments

  1. What game did you watch so can I have a one to one here you tell me colm what you call thuggery be honest because I went through archives and see a few worse from you all saints 🤔 text me

    1. Here here Micheal
      They seem to forget the thuggery that was used against northern teams in days gone by, with no reprecussions

    2. What do you call trying to rip anybody’s eye out thuggery it’s damned evil. Or were you watching somewhere else

    3. The gouging incident by a non player by an armagh non player on a Galway player is the incident. And yes it was thuggery. And yes the meath players of colm o rourkes era were no saints but it was player v player and they got red carded and got suspensions. So what are you on about?

    4. What game were you watching more to the point, disgusting behaviour by armagh players, no room for thugs in this sport, eye gouging is not part of the game

  2. Great footballer Colm O’Rourke, but hé was part of the most cynical football team that ever took the field. Was he a passenger on the road to Damascus with Saul who became Peter. So now Colm can’t believe what’s happening and calling out Armagh have a look back at your own Meath team of the 80s /90s.

  3. Colm’o’Rourke, got it right. Armagh are thugs and it’s not their first time not even this year let alone past incidents. They resort to thuggery and cynical fouling. The football is bad enough without having to endure that S*I!e

  4. Colm o rourke diamen comer started shoving the armagh full back aidan forker as they were leaving the pitch at full time but doesn’t excuse what teiran kelly done you were involved in a few incidents yourself when media wasn’t as prodment

  5. Its supposed to be a past time of proud gaelic football why wait for katie taylor just put ropes around croke park and have 15 boxing matches .the way we were brought up hurling and football to enjoy it have fun sporting shake hands the gouging and stamping as grown men should know has no place in a peoples adult game infront of the world

    1. To be totally Frank, we all know what it was. The gauging incident made the incident more pugnacious than a multitude of similar incidents.
      We don’t need dinasours like O’Rourke to drone on about incidents like this for us to grasp it.
      I’m a GAA person, love the game. However, what is tiresome is the RTE wheeling out the same old fogies to preach their same old mantra with a sense of dryness that can only be found in a corn beef sandwich from the 1980s with no butter, nor water to wash it down. Time to let someone new have a go. Not Kavanagh either!

  6. Colm O’ Rourke is correct and I fully back what he says, this type of thuggish behaviour as,displayed by some of the Armagh team on Sunday last at Croke Park has no place nor can it ever have a place in Irish Sport. Those involved in the cowardly acts on Sunday need to feel the full rigours of the Law that pertain to Sport.

  7. Wanten intention to permanently damage the eyesight of a player (who’s arms were restrained and hence the victim was not in a position to defend himself) by gouging. Cowardice and thuggery of the worst kind
    Life time ban should apply so such an individual can never inflict a potential life changing assault on any one else playing. Armagh are now the most hated GAA team in the country and with good reason

  8. I think many problems with our games surround tolerance of the shoulder charge. The Armagh player McCabe was sent off for a mistimed one. Morgan should have been sanctioned for his assault on Walsh. Every player that enters the field charges his marker.

  9. For once I entirely agree with Colm 100%. Think it’s time for supporters to have their say and not let a “committee ” decide what is right or wrong. There was absolutely no excuse what so ever for the behaviour at full time.
    I’m not a Galway supporter but I’m delighted they beat Armagh, so we will not have to watch the thugs repeat their behaviour again.

  10. Armagh are the common denominator, including previous recent brawls with other Ulster teams. The Armagh manager unfortunately tried to deflect any responsibility from his players, himself and his management team after the match, which has made matters worse. A severe sanction on Armagh is needed to bring home to them that thuggish behaviour will not be tolerated. The eye gouging Armagh player is lucky that he was not arrested and charged.

  11. Nothing changes with the GAA. Thuggery on the pitch,suspensions,appeals, suspensions lifted and then start all over again.

  12. Total hypocrisy from Colm O Rourke, member of a Meath team proud of its “hard man/thuggery status!!
    Tired of listening to” there’s no place for this kind of thing in our game” when it’s not MY county but willing to criticize others. That’s the hypocrisy!
    Sunday was a disgrace!

  13. sorry colm but the thuggery of the meath teams you played in topped all and never a word about it
    seems to be a thing with northern teams
    Kelly was totally wrong but the rest was hand bags
    compared with meath and dublin and meath cork

  14. Bottom line here is that firstly the Gaa should not allow both teams to exit the field on the same side as there are dressing rooms on both sides.
    Secondly it wasn’t the whole Amagh panel that was involved but afew and one THUG in particular. He should receive the majority of the punishment which should be a LIFE TIME BAN.
    This might appear very harsh but if Comer had lost his eye( which was quite probable) nobody would question the sentence.
    Need to STAMP this untoward behaviour OUT once and for all.

  15. I agree with Colm . However this is down to players . I don’t think anybody told that player to go in and gouge Comer . He made that decision himself . He must take responsibility for his actions as all players involved must do .
    Don’t compound a wrong by blaming Co Boards .
    As for Co Boards they should only represent players with a genuine case .
    Gouging another player never was and never should be defended .

  16. The galway full forward was not totally innocent in Starting the melee even if he did get eye gouge he was booked in first half remember.

  17. Colm o rourke is spot on and colm copper said the same on Sunday nite yet Sean kavanagh said it was all right to certain degree to have a free for all I am a kerryman and I would not want to win an all ireland if we were to stoop that low we in kerry know what northern teams bring to the table with there limited football skills the word is intimidation ask Tommy Walsh as an 18 year old how he was treated by tryrone ask colm copper ask declan o sullivan when he played In an all ireland club final against a tryrone team mental and physical intimidation if the Gaa don’t step up now our game is in ruination. Regards. Ger. Keane

  18. Ha ha ha,is O’Rourke for real, himself and his fellow Meath “thugs” to use his phrase, made so called football career’s out of much worse behaviour on a football field ,and for years,give me a break,what a sanctimonious hypocrite

  19. It really was awful to watch what happened to the Galway player. Does Armagh not realise there were children in Croke Park that day. What are they supposed to think when they something so brutal right infront of their eyes. These men are not in primary school anymore, they need to grow up, cop on and learn about respect both on the pitch and off the pitch. Supporters aren’t paying their hard earned wages to see this disappointing behaviour at all and the fact it’s the 3rd time Armagh have been in trouble over it, just proves they don’t care what they do. It needs to change and it needs to change now. Plus it’s also not fair on the staff either being at risk of getting injured to try break up a fight. My 10 year old son has been playing GAA football for a year and a half now and if he were to see this happen by grown men, he’d probably want to quit. He would hate to be in an environment like that. There absolutely needs to be a public apology and a proper punishment as it was wrong to do what he did, yes I don’t know if they had something going on before the match, but deal with it privately and not by violence, we already have enough of that in the world.

  20. Colm O Rourke calling out anybody is farcical You played on one of the dirtiest teams in living memory You and the rte panel especially Whelan passing judgments on players and teams particularly from the North Yet if Southern teams have the same brawls they NEVER mention it other than a fleeting reference The exact same things happened in a recent Dublin match, why didn’t t u take to the media then There were plenty of incidents including a similar face hold on a player lying on the ground by a Dublin player A Meath player tried to kick the Armagh fullback in the face during a match in Croke Park about 20 or so yes ago The Armagh fallback got sent off for tripping him with his head You have no room to talk about Armagh or anybody There are always 2 involved in any altercation There were 4 Tyrone men sent off and 1 Armagh man in that match Against Donegal Magee was sent on seconds before the final whistle to CAUSE a row It didn’t t matter whether he was suspended or not And the players that weren t suspended didn’t get off with They were found not to have done anything that deserved suspension There was nothing done v Kerry other than pushing and shoving You need to get your facts straight before you open your mouth and rushing to give media interviews for which you re probably well remunerated . People in glass houses should t throw stones

  21. Jazus. The Meath team you played in Colm was the filthiest outfit I ever witnessed. Complete hypocrisy. The 91 All Ireland Mickey Linden had a couple of his teeth knocked out by your own teamate on his way to the dressing room at half time. Go away and teach your granny how to suck eggs. You are fooling nobody with your high and mighty stance. Never heard so much BS .

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