Jim Gavin confident injury ‘simulation’ unlikely to spread

The rest of the GAA community may have gotten hot under the collar after Tiernan McCann had his hair ruffled two weekends ago, but Jim Gavin is of the view that the issue of feigning injury is not one that is poised to spread through the association like a virus.

McCann was sensationally hit with a proposed eight-week ban for his dramatic fall to the turf when Monaghan’s Darren Hughes ruffled his hair in the All-Ireland quarter-final and the rights and wrongs of that have been keenly debated ever since.

The act and its aftermath has prompted considerable debate over an issue which has been euphemistically labelled as ‘simulation’ in soccer with the suggestion that it is becoming more widespread in Gaelic football as the years go by.