Stynes taken to task for ‘trivialising’ Rules violence

WESTMEATH County Board secretary Paddy Collins has taken former Dublin minor and AFL star Jim Stynes to task for ‘trivialising’ the violence in the second test in Melbourne in the International Rules Series.

In his time one of the GAA’s most accomplished referees, with considerable experience of the series in Ireland and Australia, Collins says most people were repulsed by the ‘utter disregard’ shown by the hosts for even the most basic requirement of good behaviour.

“For those of use who had first hand experience of trying to cope with the attitude of Australians - who engage in a sporting activity, but who by no stretch of the imagination, could be considered sporting people - the recent debacle was no surprise. What was surprising was the infantile attempt by a former Aussie Rules superstar, but a much less talented Gaelic footballer, to trivialise some of the major violent incidents in the game,” he writes in his report to convention.

Without identifying Stynes by name, it’s clear he is the person referred to. And, while acknowledging a growing opposition to the series, Collins points out that players treasure the opportunity to represent their country.

However, he says the Aussies will have to demonstrate they are serious about eliminating the element of thuggery which marred this series and this can only be done by having meaningful penalties suspensions served in the respective codes of both associations

He also described the manner in which the GAA carried out its rules experimentation as ‘hamfisted.’

Some ‘valuable’ ideas were lost, said Collins, but there has been a realisation that the imbalance between the use of the foot and the hand for ball disposal has reached an unacceptable stage. The only thing that surprises him is that no effort has been made to tackle the problem.

Páidi Ó Sé comes in for special praise for his managership of the Westmeath team. According to Collins, every GAA follower in Westmeath should be ‘eternally grateful’ to him for what he did. “Some time in the future when people are struggling to decide on the identity of the person who has made the most significant sporting contribution to Gaelic games over the past 40 or 50 years, very few people will occupy a place higher than Páidí.”

Collins takes the GAC to task for not placing their football team in Division 2A after having been relegated, noting that the Committee ‘considered it a geographic imperative’ to accommodate Limerick instead.

He also condemns action of a company in ‘doctoring a photograph of a Westmeath senior team’, for the purpose of producing a calendar of the winning Christy Ring team. It was a ‘shameful piece of opportunistic greed,’ he states.

The GPA also come in for censure for their ‘apparent complicity in this shady and shoddy attempt to extract money from an unsuspecting public.’