Offaly vs Dublin 1997 U21s - Parnell Park riot

[Plain of the Herbs]

i checked it earlier today, Hyper. Ciarán was midfield and on the frees with the 1997 U21s.

And that was indeed the one in Parnell Park where all Hell broke loose. Looking at the newspaper report, the referee - who was never heard of again - kept the match going until Dublin took the lead! A number of Offaly players picked up facial injuries, at least one Offaly player was kicked when on the ground, Offaly finished with 12 players, John Ryan was flattened by a punch right in front of the referee and only a yellow was shown, and Declan Kelly had to play on in goals despite an obvious head injury because they had already used the full compliment of 3 subs. All caused by a Dublin mentor going onto the pitch to cause trouble, and he later left the ground in a squad car for his own protection!

was overage in 97 played in the 95 leinster win alright .

oneshot, Maccie be 50 next year, class act he was and still is - as a baller, motivator and person

[Hyper]

i checked it earlier today, Hyper. Ciarán was midfield and on the frees with the 1997 U21s.

And that was indeed the one in Parnell Park where all Hell broke loose. Looking at the newspaper report, the referee - who was never heard of again - kept the match going until Dublin took the lead! A number of Offaly players picked up facial injuries, at least one Offaly player was kicked when on the ground, Offaly finished with 12 players, John Ryan was flattened by a punch right in front of the referee and only a yellow was shown, and Declan Kelly had to play on in goals despite an obvious head injury because they had already used the full compliment of 3 subs. All caused by a Dublin mentor going onto the pitch to cause trouble, and he later left the ground in a squad car for his own protection!

was overage in 97 played in the 95 leinster win alright .

oneshot, Maccie be 50 next year, class act he was and still is - as a baller, motivator and person

it all started afair, with kellygetting kicked, some amount of suspensions/bans afterwards, bay mason, mahon, and i think billings from dublin, aload more could have went. The footage from sunday game was clas looking back at it, were both teams exclude from the next years championship?

[Plain of the Herbs]

Sorry to derail the thread, maybe someone could split out the 1997 stuff?

The match took place on Saturday 15th March 1997. Trevor Willis (Offaly) and Paul Croft (Dublin were sent off for their part in the row. Then John Mason was somehow ordered off after h was attacked by several Dublin players. While John Greene had prevouusly been sent off having had his name taken twice (yellow cards weren’t a thing until 2000, I think).

John Ryan was remarkably direct when quoted in the Irish Independent of the following Saturday, 22nd March. Relating to Liam Horan, Ryan said “He (Billings) came onto the field. He hit me in the eye with a closed fist from the side or behind. I had said nothing to him and I had no argument with any Dublin player player before that.” Ryan continued “I had the ball in my hands. The Dublin player (Ray Cosgrove) was telling me that the free was from somewhere else and he was going to take the ball from me. We weren’t even tangling, there was no argument. Dave Billings came out of nowhere. I didn’t see him coming. After he hit me, I threw the ball at him. Three or four Dublin players came around me and started punching and kicking. I had to defend myself. Nearly every player on the field got involved. Like a flash, the Dubin subs were on the field. It was as if they were ready to come off the line. Our corner-back Barry Mooney took a very bad bang from a sub. Declan Kelly, our goalkeeper, was unconscious for a while on the ground. We got him up and he lay against the post to try and come to. I don’t think he was in any state to play. He remembers the ball being hit for the Dublin goal but he was in very bad order.”

The same piece quoted Dublin’s Paul Croft saying “I got an elbow in the chin from the man I was marking (John Mason). I went down straightaway. My physio came over. People might say I was acting but I did get a smack. While on the ground I turned around and saw Dave Billings on the ground and three Offaly fellows. My reaction was to help my manager.

Meanwhile Jason Sherlock – who couldn’t play for Dublin as he had a soccer match he was contracted to play on the following day – filed a written complaint with his county board over what he saw was extreme criticism of Dublin players by a Dublin county board official.

Leinster Council met on Wednesday 19th March, after which they announced their decision to summon an unspecified number of individuals to the following Wednesday’s disciplinary meeting.

At that meeting, Trevor Willis and John Mason received three months suspensions for ‘striking with the head, kicking or stamping’. Offaly subs Ivan Dunne, Stephen Byrne and Adrian Mahon were handed two month suspensions. On the Dubin side, Damien Bolger got two years, manager Dave Billings got 12 months, Anthony O’Gorman, Shane Herity and Brendan Shovlin each got six months while Paul Croft got 3 months. And both Offaly and Dublin were banned from the following year’s championship, while Dublin were kicked out of that year’s championship too.

Dublin appealed all their suspensions to Central Council, where they lost on a 26 – 7 vote, though Brendan Shovlin’s 3 month suspension was overturned on a technicality, as were Ivan Dunne and Stephen Byrne’s suspension. Dublin threatened legal action in the aftermath of this, and there was a possibility of a High Court injunction that would prevent the Meath v Westmeath Leinster final from proceeding.

Offaly did take part in the 1998 U21 championship – they drew with Leix and got hammered in a replay, so they must have got back in following some kind of an appeal. I’ll have to look somewhere else to see of Dublin got back in.

it all started afair, with kellygetting kicked, some amount of suspensions/bans afterwards, bay mason, mahon, and i think billings from dublin, aload more could have went. The footage from sunday game was clas looking back at it, were both teams exclude from the next years championship?

[Bord na Mona man]

Tying in the Jason Sherlock incident which occurred in that match.
A now deceased Dublin official (named Delaney) spat on Sherlock that day in the course of argument.

As mentioned here, a supporter armed with a bottle (presumably not a plastic Linden Village one) was thankfully stopped from entering the melee.

https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic ... 51093.html

Billings would have been well regarded in Dublin GAA circles, but there is no excusing what he did. A few years later the Dublin backroom analyst Ray Boyne came on the field and headbutted a Monaghan player.

As it turned out the events in March '97 were an unfortunate foreshadowing to what happened later in the year, when Paul Curran came up behind Finbarr Cullen and smashed 3 of his teeth with a punch.

[hamstrings]

https://youtu.be/1XS2Ww4N5DQ?si=ZpAxH-ONLxe9ly1L

[Exiled in Connacht]

I was at under 21 game and the league game as referred to.
Dublin keeper was an absolute disgrace in under 21 game, viciously kicked Offaly player who was on the ground. Worst I think I ever saw on a pitch.
Curran let himself down badly against Finbar Cullen, never had Curran down as being a thug.
Did Micky Whelan get sacked after that game, I remember Dublin fans booed him off the field at the end?

[Exiled in Connacht]

I was at under 21 game and the league game as referred to.
Dublin keeper was an absolute disgrace in under 21 game, viciously kicked Offaly player who was on the ground. Worst I think I ever saw on a pitch.
Curran let himself down badly against Finbar Cullen, never had Curran down as being a thug.
Did Micky Whelan get sacked after that game, I remember Dublin fans booed him off the field at the end?

Actually might not have been Dublin keeper but it was a shocking attack

[llkj]

I clicked on the above youtube link ended up watching the highlights of Offaly v Dublin in 1992. Bit of nostalgia as I was at the game and remember the terrible weather and the traveling Dublin fans taking over the place. So strange to look back on it all these years later.

The game itself was terrible from an Offaly perspective and was over as a contest within the first 10 minutes. A lot of cheap, dangerous hits throughout the game.

Link here: https://youtu.be/FZ4IaF-79l0?si=uLJNsFYKuCWHgdMK

[Bord na Mona man]

Did Micky Whelan get sacked after that game, I remember Dublin fans booed him off the field at the end?

Yes, Mickey Whelan was sacked after that match. Him and his team got a fairly hostile reception from the home mob that day.


Added to that Tommy Lyons had just won a Leinster with Offaly having being overlooked for the Dublin job.

Dublin GAA back then was a far cry from the multinational corporate-backed, 'process' following, dressing-room sweeping PR stuntmen of the current day.

[Exiled in Connacht]

Not too many managers get the boot after a league match

[Plain of the Herbs]

Dublin did indeed take part in the 1998 U21 football championship. Reached the Leinster final where they were beaten by Leix.

Offaly did take part in the 1998 U21 championship – they drew with Leix and got hammered in a replay, so they must have got back in following some kind of an appeal. I’ll have to look somewhere else to see of Dublin got