RATOATH MANAGER DAVID Brady insisted he was the innocent party again after getting drawn into another Pairc Tailteann shemozzle, arguing that it’s a case of ‘give a dog a bad name’.
The former Mayo midfielder was on the receiving end of a couple of shoves from Rhode’s Anton Sullivan during the Meath champions’ AIB Leinster club SFC quarter-final win in Navan.
Recent Tailteann Cup All-Star recipient Sullivan initially lost his cool with former All-Ireland club winner Brady when a sideline ball was awarded beneath the main stand, close to the Ballina man’s technical area.
Then, after the final whistle which confirmed Ratoath’s 0-11 to 0-9 win, securing a Croke Park clash with Westmeath’s The Downs, Brady exchanged more words with a couple of Rhode players and was again shoved by Sullivan.
It followed last month’s heated Meath county final when Brady was barged to the ground by opposing Summerhill manager Conor Gillespie, resulting in red cards for both though Brady’s sanction was rescinded following an appeal and he resumed his duties for the Rhode game.
Brady was not sanctioned at any stage in the two-point provincial quarter-final win and claimed afterwards that he was again the victim.
“That wasn’t me now,” said Brady, referencing the initial incident around the sideline ball and assuring that he didn’t initiate it. “It actually wasn’t me. Someone interpreted it was, they turned around and went, ‘Of course it was Brady’. I think you’ve seen it. But anyway, look, you’re going to yourself, ‘Boys, you’re playing into our hands, we’re up!’”
Leinster Championship Quarter Final
— Ratoath GAA (@RatoathGAA) November 6, 2022
Full time
Ratoath 0-11@RhodeGAA 0-09
Croke Park here we come 💙💛💙💛
The line ball was eventually reversed and a throw up awarded. Brady said he wasn’t sure what prompted Sullivan’s frustration.
“I don’t know, I don’t know, and let’s be on the record, my red card (from the county final) was rescinded last week from the Meath county final perspective,” he said. “It was a process and a very honest and very open one. And very transparent from a Meath county board perspective.”
Tensions remained high in the closing minutes as Ratoath successfully defended their lead. Brady exchanged words with Rhode duo Jake Kavanagh and Ruairi McNamee after full-time and Sullivan then got involved. A number of Ratoath members attempted to pacify the situation before Brady led his group of players away.
“Yeah, because you’re going, ‘Boys, get away from that’,” he said. “Look it, I think someone actually thought I did something and I didn’t – someone else did it. But sure give a dog a bad name anyway. But let’s talk about other things!”
Next up for a Ratoath side missing county attacker Joey Wallace, who will shortly undergo surgery following a cruciate knee ligament injury, is a provincial semi-final clash with the Westmeath representatives.
Ratoath have already won junior (2004) and intermediate (2015) Leinster titles and are just two wins now from completing a rare clean sweep.
“On my life, I won’t even go that far,” said Brady when asked to consider the possibility. “I wouldn’t dare answer because it’s the height of disrespect to everything that we talk about. We made a firm commitment that we only talk about an opportunity, I swear to God. We only talk about that next opportunity and that opportunity is a game against The Downs.”
