“A melee is more than two people, so it started off as a melee” – Cian Mackey on Conor McKenna’s questionable red card

Melee, melee, melee..

Has the word 'melee' started to lose all meaning to anyone else? You know when you say a word so many times that it stops making sense? Every week in the world of GAA the M-word has surfaced at least once, and last weekend was no different when Tyrone beat Fermanagh to kick off the Ulster championship. At the end of the game, with the All-Ireland champions firmly in control, a - dare I say it - melee broke out among the players. This resulted in Conor McKenna getting his shirt ripped off him, and referee Joe McQuillan sending him off for his troubles, meaning he will technically be suspended for the next game. Speaking on the GAA Hour, former Kerry captain Darran O'Sullivan and Cavan legend Cian Mackey discussed the situation.

"I suppose we can’t really go by it without talking about the red card, it seems to be a talking point quite often these days with these melees or whatever," said O'Sullivan.

"First of all, I thought Conor McKenna was outstanding, and the goal, the second goal that Tyrone got, I know he didn’t get it, but he got the ball on the 45 and it’s just so simple.  "A little pop ball into the full forward line, and he came like a train and was unlucky it came off the post, and his impact was huge, but on to the red card, I think he’s going to feel hard done by. 

"I do think the GAA need to stamp it out, but we talked off air Cian, there were three Fermanagh lads involved in this before McKenna got near it."

Recently retired Cavan man, Mackey, was equally as confused by the red card, and questioned the definition of what a melee actually is.

"What’s the definition of a melee, you know? Like a melee is more than two people, so it started off as a melee.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pz25Oze69LU&list=PLqNkY83t8W0HI-KqPSDaPFOvPNFcjM0kK&index=2 "You know, like if there’s a Cavan man on the ground, and three Kerry boys, or Donegal boys on top of him, I’m not going to leave him there.

"So, he was pushing them off, and then another three Fermanagh boys came in, so very hard done, and look, Joe McQuillan was in a sticky situation because of the way they’re clamping down on ‘contributing to a melee’. "It was a sticky one for him to be in, but I think he missed a beat - by sending off a Tyrone man, he needed to send off a Fermanagh man, and he didn’t do it. "It made no sense. That’s probably what’s making it harder for people to take because there’s always this Tyrone bias, and this Ulster bias, and stuff like that, so it’s looking harsher on Tyrone now.  "So all going well, it will be overturned because Tyrone need him." You can listen to the episode of the GAA Hour here!