Tyrone legend voices support for ugly scenes after Donegal-Armagh final

Not for the first time following a great game of Gaelic football involving Armagh, the biggest talking point was not the play but rather an ugly fracas between the teams.

After Donegal’s extra-time win in the Ulster SFC final over Armagh, both sides were engaged in a shemozzle.

It began when one of Donegal’s players goaded the Armagh bench, before they spilled onto the pitch with one of the players striking the Donegal culprit.

While most condemned the actions of both sets of men, with Donegal both Jim McGuinness voicing his dismay at the scenes, one pundit had a positive take on the incident.

Speaking on RTÉ, Seán Cavanagh, a three-time All-Ireland winner and five-time All-Star with Tyrone, complimented those involved.

He said: “What it lacked in intensity in turnovers, it seemed to make up for it in the end.

“The flares managed to cover most of it, but that’s Ulster Championship, that’s intensity, that’s passion.

“There’s nothing wrong with that as long as there’s nobody hurt; it just typified the game we had today.”

On the game, McGuinness added: “For me, the Ulster Championship and the Munster Hurling Championship are just on a par. They bring so much.

“They ignite so much within people. It’s crazy. But at the same time, there’ll be a serious game in Croke Park tomorrow. The Connacht Final was seriously competitive.

“Listen, I think the provincials are in a good place. I think there’s a lot of people, for whatever reason, talking them down or had been talking them down.

“But maybe that narrative will change on the back of this season because that was a serious competition in all provinces this year. And for us, we’re just thankful. We’re delighted.”