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‘The Nuremburg defence doesn’t apply to Sean Cavanagh,’ says Joe Brolly

The Red Hand talisman needs to take responsibility for his actions, according to the RTE pundit.

JOE BROLLY INSISTS he stands over his tirade against Tyrone’s cynical fouling on RTE television on Saturday evening.

The former Derry forward launched a stunning attack on the Red Hand talisman, Sean Cavanagh as well as Mikey Harte’s tactics after the All-Ireland SFC quarter-final win over Monaghan.

The Farney fell just short after Conor McManus was hauled down by Cavanagh when he looked through on goal in the second half. Both sides ended the game with 14 men on the pitch while Tyrone were lucky not to have more sent off.

“I’ll tell him to his face, you can be sure of that,” Brolly said on Today FM’s Last Word programme yesterday evening when asked if he’d say the same to Cavanagh away from the TV studio.

“People say: would you not say it to his face. I’ve said it in front of a million people. Apparently it’s been shown 300,000 times on YouTube.

“I’ll stand my ground and I’ll say it to him face-to-face, don’t you worry about that. He shouldn’t be doing it and I’ve told him before. I’ve said Sean, stop doing that, it’s awful.”

When asked by presenter Matt Cooper if he went too far in saying ‘you can forget about Sean Cavanagh as a man’, Brolly added: “I mean as a sportsman, I don’t know anything about the fella’s  private life. But you can’t be one thing on the field and one thing off it.

“This is his character, this is what he is. You are what you are. And it’s just unfortunate that he’s a diver and a serial cynical fouler. He’ll freely admit that and say look we’re only exploiting the rules.

“Owen Mulligan said the exact same thing last week, there’s no secret it’s being coached in Tyrone and is used systematically. There’s other teams doing it as well. And it’s spreading through clubs; this is bigger than Tyrone, Mickey Harte and Sean Cavanagh but these are the big guys.

“If I wanted to weasel around this I’d say look Cavan were at it and no one really cares. But I’m picking out the big guys; Mickey Harte and Sean Cavanagh are well capable of defending themselves. Sean Cavanagh has chosen to say ‘I do do it, the pundits are right. It’s very distasteful, I don’t like doing it’.

“That’s not good enough, he’s a  30-year-old man, the Nuremburg defence doesn’t apply. He knows exactly what he’s doing and it’s a matter for him how he chooses to play a sport and I think they way he does it is a disgrace.”

First published 7.10am

Listen to the full interview here>

Aaron Kernan uses the notes app on his iPhone to wade in on Brolly v Cavanagh

Mayo goals cost publican as green and red fans take advantage of promotion

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42 Comments
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    Mute Liam Quinn
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    Aug 7th 2013, 8:02 AM

    Seriously impressed with Brolly for sticking to his guns. Fantastic to see some spine. Comes across as very intelligent and not backtracking proves his rant wasn’t an off-the-cuff, ill-thought-out affair.

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    Mute Nivag Yeoh
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    Aug 7th 2013, 11:10 AM

    Brolly is spot on. Those who disagree with him advocate cheating and don’t know the first thing about sport.

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    Mute Jigsaw
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    Aug 7th 2013, 11:24 AM

    You clearly havnt played any sport. Name a sport? Soccer has diving/handballs, Rugby has biting/ eye goring, Running/cycling/swimming etc has drugs.
    Canavagh played within the rules, the rule needs to be changed. I would so the same even if there was a risk of red.

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    Mute Jack Strong
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    Aug 7th 2013, 1:45 PM

    Jigsaw are you defending cheating? None of those are in the rules, they’re against them!

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    Mute Niall
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    Aug 7th 2013, 1:48 PM

    @Jigsaw
    I can see where you’re coming from. The ref himself was probably disgusted with the tackle yet could only give a yellow card ‘using the rule book’

    To put this in perspective, cantona was at fault for a karate kick on a fan, if he was just given a yellow for it then the FA would have been at fault

    Makes you think

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    Mute ManOnTheStreet
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    Aug 7th 2013, 1:48 PM

    Jigsaw, seriously stop. You are embarrassing yourself. All them things you mentioned are cheating.
    You can support them, but true sports fans want cheating eradicated completely. That might be impossible, but that doesn’t mean we should support cheating.

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    Mute Niall
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    Aug 7th 2013, 1:51 PM

    Just to clarify I am in no way trying to support what cavanagh did, it was pathetic

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    Mute Nivag Yeoh
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    Aug 7th 2013, 10:51 PM

    Jigsaw, you patently have no idea what it is to be a sportsman. You clearly advocate cheating in order to win. What Cavanagh did was cheating. It is AGAINST the rules to drag down an opponent. The punishment set out for this is insufficient as we all know. Tyrone, Harte and Cavanagh know this and this is what they exploit. However, what they DO know is that this ype of cynical play IS against the rules. To exploit the loophole is clearly therefore unsporting.

    You obviously have no qualms when it comes to this type of on-pitch behaviour. If a Dublin player partook in such deliberate foul play it would certainly tarnish any victory. But that’s just me. You’ll call me an idiot proably, and say that winning is everything, means to an end etc. I’d want to do it properly.

    History will see this Tyrone cheats for what they are — a waning team of decent players who sold out to snidery to try for a last stab at glory. No heroes for me, jigsaw. Not what would have made me want to play back in the day, when I was part of a very successful team that at juvenile level.

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    Mute mark ryan
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    Aug 7th 2013, 2:22 PM

    If kerry were cheaters, they would have been all-ireland champions in 2011, it would have been easy to just rugby tackle kevin mcmenamon to the ground , but they didnt. They obviously regret not doin that now but at least they play the game how it should be played, along with the dubs and mayo

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    Mute Aodan O Coinneachain
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    Aug 7th 2013, 2:32 PM

    Have a look at the video above

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    Mute Nivag Yeoh
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    Aug 7th 2013, 10:52 PM

    Have a look at the goal again. Declan O’Sullivan was out on his feet, couldn’t have gotten near Kevin McM even if he wanted to lay the smackdown on him. Kerry are no strangers to pushing the rules.

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    Mute Peter McGlynn
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    Aug 8th 2013, 8:23 AM

    What are you on about. Read the Irish Times column by Darragh O’Shea – he said he and his Kerry teammates did it all the time – he regrets not hauling down Oisin McConville when through on goal. Look at the pic of Paul Galvin rugby tackling a Cavan man at weekend.

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    Mute Jigsaw
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    Aug 7th 2013, 7:36 AM

    The only thing worse than brolly, were the pundits who didn’t know the rules and were saying it was a red card!

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    Mute Emmet Daly
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    Aug 7th 2013, 9:26 AM

    Joe Brollys clearly looking for a long term career from RTE. An Eamon Duphy like GAA punter to say controversial jibberish. Theyll find there John Giles equivalent and thatll be their panel. As if Sean Kavanagh needs to explain himself to that little pr*#k!!

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    Mute Nivag Yeoh
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    Aug 7th 2013, 11:05 AM

    far from jibberish, emmet. and I believe he does quite well as a barrister himself.

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    Mute Cathal Golden
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    Aug 7th 2013, 3:05 PM

    Ah god bless your bitterness! Joe brolly has entitled himself to say what he likes about Sean cavanagh. Joe brolly is probably twice the man you are and he is definitely more articulate! I can imagine you poor souls getting upset when precious seaneen got called out! Well said joe and brilliant interview on today fm yesterday! I can’t imagine cavanagh giving someone a kidney either.

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    Mute Who's Yer Man
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    Aug 7th 2013, 5:14 PM

    @Emmet, if you’re going to defend the man, his name is Séan Cavanagh, with a C, not a K.

    Brolly was not saying he should have to answer to him, that merely the issue of systematic cheating in the GAA needs to be addressed, across the entire association at all levels, so this doesn’t become ingrained in the youth of today. He was only calling out the elephant in the room. If people can’t see that, we may as well be pissing into the wind.

    I’ve watched Tyrone among other teams for years, and I have always hated their suffocating cheating. I felt that they were a disgrace again Meath, and spent the remaining 10mins of the game killing off momentum by fouling, and the second half against Monaghan was disgusting to watch.

    I really hope that Mayo destroy them worse than they did Donegal.

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    Mute richard ferris
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    Aug 7th 2013, 6:22 PM

    Don’t forget that pr*ck you refer to gladly gave a his own kidney to help out a friend…..quite a man in my eyes.

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    Mute Dave O'Hanlon
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    Aug 7th 2013, 9:14 PM

    I thought Spillane was the GAA Dunphy!. too late Joe the position was taken before you even became a pundit. Also he says about Cavanagh that “you can’t be one thing on the field and one thing off it” which is just horse manure as most people know all sportsmen are different people when they cross the line. If they weren’t then how would anyone have the courage to work as pundit alongside Ciaran Whelan.

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    Mute Jigsaw
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    Aug 7th 2013, 7:33 AM

    Brolly is a disgrace. Every team had been doing the same thing in the last 20 years. How many times has canavagh himself been pulled down/stopped. Brolly shouldn’t be let on tv till he apologies.

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    Mute Elrat
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    Aug 7th 2013, 9:14 AM

    That’s boll1x Jigsaw!

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    Mute Jigsaw
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    Aug 7th 2013, 11:27 AM

    Name one thing in saying that us wrong? Name me one Gaa team at any level that hasn’t done similar/worse. If it was a corner back there would have no mention of it.

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    Mute Colman McGrath
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    Aug 7th 2013, 1:38 PM

    Rubbish Jigsaw…have you not listened to what Brolly said. Yes there are other teams and players at it, we all know there are. But Sean Cavanagh is the biggest culprit is now doing it on a weekly basis, your defiance on this stance shows you to be the kind of guy who should have nothing to do with Sport. You are the disgrace….not Brolly. There is no defence whatsoever for what Sean Cavanagh did, rules or no rules….it’s cheating pure and simple.

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    Mute ManOnTheStreet
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    Aug 7th 2013, 1:45 PM

    Yup, dress it up how ever you like. It was cheating. And he was taught to cheat.
    And Tyrone are, by quite some distance, the worst offending team.

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    Mute Michael Bullock
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    Aug 8th 2013, 11:57 AM

    Have a look at the stats on fouls/yellows/reds of the teams in this years championship and then come back to me :-) Tyrone are by far not the worst but don’t let the truth get in the way of a good rant!

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    Mute Bernie Osgood
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    Aug 7th 2013, 3:24 PM

    Did anyone see the Kerry v Tyrone minor quarter final, disgraceful behaviour. Kerry are fine skilled footballers Tyrone muscle stole the match

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    Mute Cathal Golden
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    Aug 7th 2013, 3:07 PM

    Joe brolly for president. Half the thicks complaining about joe probably don’t understand what he is saying. Some of the words would be over their”hills have eyes ” heads!

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    Mute Matt Dobson
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    Aug 7th 2013, 7:41 AM

    ok Joe, you made your point. Overkill at this stage

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    Mute brunomurphy
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    Aug 7th 2013, 9:22 AM

    Jigsaw is 100 percent correct. Brolly a bully shouting and roaring and not letting anyone else get a word in. Kind if ridiculous referring to something as serious as Nuremberg trials in the context of a football match as well

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    Mute Jack Strong
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    Aug 7th 2013, 1:47 PM

    Except “using the Nuremberg defence” is a legitimate saying. It means you’re only doing as you’re told by your superior.

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    Mute Bertie Aherrin
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    Aug 7th 2013, 7:57 AM

    Jaysus Nuremberg defence me arse Brolly. The stats will tell you that Tyrone’s blanket defence leaks less goals!!

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    Mute Aodan O Coinneachain
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    Aug 7th 2013, 2:14 PM

    Stephen Cluxton did something similar in a Leinster Final. Don’t remember anything being said at the time! Have a look around the 5:30 mark!

    http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cdg8zWMxo-0

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    Mute Nivag Yeoh
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    Aug 7th 2013, 10:56 PM

    What’s your point?

    It should have been a red card offence. Impossible to compare the two though. And anyway you’re missing the point. Cavanagh and Tyrone have been doing this ALL YEAR. All through the league and in each of the backdoor matches and now the QF that I have seen. It’s a tactic, a mode of playing, a mindset. Not a rush of blood to the head from a sprinting goalkeeper.

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    Mute Aodan O Coinneachain
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    Aug 8th 2013, 9:50 AM

    My point is that singling one player and team out for criticism is unfair. Mayo spent twenty minutes fouling Donegal in their own backline to stop them from building attacks. In fact they only stopped when they gained a sizable lead. There seems to be a little annoyance that Tyrone are still involved in the championship when everyone had them written off. They are not the only team doing this, there isn’t a team in the country that doesn’t commit cynical fouls. What’s the difference between what Cavanagh did and the Cork man picking the ball up inside the small square the other day? There is none but nobody likes Tyrone so everyone focuses their hatred there. By the way I’m not from Tyrone and of the four teams left they would be my least favorite team!

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    Mute Nivag Yeoh
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    Aug 8th 2013, 12:28 PM

    I ‘ve been to three Tyrone matches this year, and watched another two on TV. The final 10 minutes of the league game vs Dublin was an absolute disgrace. Three times Dublin forwards were pulled down to the ground in order to prevent an attack from continuing. The same carry-on occurred in the league final but was unsuccessful. We saw it again from Cavanagh, O’Neill et al against Kildare and Meath, O’Neill ultimately receiving his marching orders but no suspension. And then Cavanagh’s coup de grace on saturday, amonst others, including an ankle tap in midfield. He should have walked. He wasn’t the only one at it. And that’s without mentioning Martin Penrose thinking he’s allowed to punch an opposition player in front of a linemsan?!

    I know full well that Tyrone aren’t the only team who engage in cynical tactical fouling, but that should in no way excuse them from the limelight which Brolly’s outburst has shone upon them. Cavanagh is arguably the best player in the country, and yet he plays this way?! With a shrug of the shoulders? It’s cheating. Mayo committed 27 tactical fouls vs Dublin in the semi last year. So they’re not on their own in having a systematic approach to “bending the rules”. It’s not football though.

    You asked what’s the difference between Cavanagh and the Cork man picking it up. It’s the same diference between Cluxton’s and Cavanagh’s — a rush of blood to the head vs a cheating mindset i.e. we’ve seen Cavanagh and his Tyrone chums perform the same foul many, many times this year.

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    Mute matthew boland
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    Aug 7th 2013, 2:07 PM

    Sean Cavanagh committed one foul during that game!

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    Mute Gerry McNally
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    Aug 7th 2013, 9:05 PM

    Totally bored with subject at this stage. Roll on the premiership when we get to see over paid male models who have no loyalty to anything other than their egos to give you all something to talk about.

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    Mute Dylan Prendergast
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    Aug 7th 2013, 2:59 PM

    This is another part of RTE Sunday Game panel promoting themselves and the show. Be it Brolly and his comments or Spillane with ‘the shiite football’ remark. RTE love it.

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    Mute Aodan O Coinneachain
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    Aug 7th 2013, 3:28 PM

    A pundit once told my brother that every year there are newly retired players trying to get work in rte. The older pundits have to be controversial in order to ensure that people still want to watch them!

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    Mute Nivag Yeoh
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    Aug 7th 2013, 10:59 PM

    I’d settle for correct rather than controversial. Brolly is both though, so hey ho.

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    Mute Bertie Aherrin
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    Aug 7th 2013, 11:08 PM

    Jaysus obsessed with Tyrone or what. This cynical play was evident in every game!! Even Kerry committed sin. Oh did anyone notice they had 15 men in their own half on many occasions.

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    Mute John Meagher
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    Aug 7th 2013, 7:12 PM

    Joseph ” Umbrella ” must have had a falling out with Mickey Harte . It’s funny how Joe’s rose tinted glasses have only just come off . Has he only just figured out what Tyrone ( & other counties ) have been at for the last 10 years .

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