Canavan's season blighted by violent `friendly'

The GAA's dark side resurfaced in what was supposed to be a low-key challenge match in O'Neill Park, Dungannon, on Tuesday night when violent incidents - on and off the pitch - resulted in Peter Canavan, the former footballer of the year, sustaining a broken jaw which will keep him out of Tyrone's Ulster senior football championship match with Down on Sunday fortnight and, ultimately, places a question mark over his future in the game. Canavan underwent surgery on his jaw, which was broken in three places, in Altnagelvin Hospital, Derry, yesterday afternoon after being referred there from Omagh Hospital where he had attended for an initial examination.

The wire in his jaw won't be removed for another four weeks, and, even if Tyrone manage to beat Down, it is doubtful if he will see any action in this year's provincial championship.

Another player, Barry Gormley, a member of Dungannon Clarkes, also sustained facial injuries in an incident that allegedly occurred in the shower area after the match was abandoned. Gormley, who was knocked unconscious, was detained overnight in South Tyrone Hospital and released yesterday. He received eight stitches to his head wound.

The Tyrone County Board chairman Paul Doris has confirmed that an investigation will take place, even though the game, which should have been "a low profile thing," wasn't under the auspices of the county's Games Administration Committee or Executive Committee. "I didn't even know it was taking place," said Doris.

However, a number of factors - most pertinently the absence of a neutral referee or any impartial observers - could mitigate against a true picture of what happened actually emerging. There could also be implications for any insurance claims which may arise given that no official referee was in charge.

The challenge match between Canavan's club Errigal Ciaran and the home team, Dungannon Clarkes, was abandoned some 10 minutes from time by the referee (a Dungannon official) when a melee broke out. It is believed that Canavan sustained his injury at this stage, although he did not attend hospital until yesterday morning, the day after the match.

Gormley, a law student at Queen's University in Belfast, was allegedly attacked in the communal shower area some minutes after the match was brought to its premature end. The 24-year-old player was knocked unconscious but was revived by paramedics in the ambulance on his way to hospital and was detained overnight as a precaution.

A meeting of the Tyrone Games Administration Committee (who are responsible for running youth and league competitions in the county) is scheduled to take place next Tuesday night, but it is likely the 13-man county executive (who run the championship) will assume responsibility for this matter, given its seriousness, when they meet on Tuesday week.

Canavan's loss to Tyrone "is a serious one", conceded Doris. "Even when he is playing badly, Peter Canavan is such a good leader that he has a huge influence on a game.

"It is a sad situation and we must remember that two players are affected," he added.

There is no history of bad blood between the clubs and, it would appear, the trouble stemmed from a number of robust tackles that took place early in the challenge match.

Both Dungannon Clarkes and Errigal Ciaran, however, have been involved in controversial matches in recent years.

At the end of the 1996 season, the county league final between Errigal and Carrickmore was abandoned when a melee developed, while last year Dungannon and Edendork were thrown out of the county championship for a fracas that took place during their match. This incident, particularly with the involvement of a high-profile player of Canavan's standing, again raises the whole question of violence in Gaelic Games. Just a few weeks ago, the GAA's Director General Liam Mulvihill described violence as a "cancer" that must be eradicated.

It is likely that Croke Park will keep a close eye on just how the Tyrone board handle this particular affair.