Ratoath manager David Brady was able to see the funny side after a sideline bust-up that saw him and Summerhill manager Conor Gillespie sent off during Sunday's Meath football final.
Both managers were sent off for the sideline fracas, with Gillespie accepting responsibility for the incident.
Brady was able to joke about the incident after the game, saying it was not the first time he'd had a "shemozzle" in a game, and saying that the incident was not as bad as it appeared.
David Brady sees funny side to Meath county final bust-up
Ratoath claimed yet another Meath county title on Sunday afternoon - their third in four years - with a narrow 0-12 to 0-11 victory over Summerhill at Pairc Tailteann.
Mayo man David Brady was boss of the Ratoath team and, after a controversial injury time tackle, he clashed with Summerhill manager Conor Gillespie, with Brady knocked to the ground.
16 October 2022; Summerhill manager Conor Gillespie tussles with Ratoath players, Padraic Byrne, 18, and Bobby O'Brien, 15, as Ratoath manager David Brady is on the floor during the Meath County Senior Football Championship Final between Ratoath and Summerhill at Páirc Tailteann in Navan, Meath. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile
16 October 2022; Summerhill manager Conor Gillespie recieves a red card from referee Kieran Olwell during the Meath County Senior Football Championship Final between Ratoath and Summerhill at Páirc Tailteann in Navan, Meath. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile
Both men were sent off for their part in the incident but, mere moments later, the tense air passed to joy for Ratoath when the final whistle blew.
Brady was pictured taking part in the celebrations, as his adopted club celebrated the latest in their recent string of success.
16 October 2022; Ratoath manager David Brady takes a picture after the Meath County Senior Football Championship Final between Ratoath and Summerhill at Páirc Tailteann in Navan, Meath. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile
Quoted in the Independent, he joked about the incident, joking that he fell to the ground too easily and saying that Gillespie was a "gent":
Look, Jaysus, and I'm straight...whatever picture is around tomorrow is not the picture of reality. Again, think about it, it was a perfect storm for us, we were the ones that needed, as the man says, a bit of a schemozzle. It's not the first time I've had a shemozzle with Meath men - I don't think I hit the ground as quick the last time!
But ah, look, Conor is an absolute gent and he's done so much for that group. They were undefeated all year, they still haven't conceded a goal since May. They could go to next May without conceding a goal.
Brady was pictured shaking hands with and embracing Gillespie at the final whistle, showing that the two had indeed buried the hatchet.
16 October 2022; Summerhill manager Conor Gillespie, right, and Ratoath manager David Brady reconcile after the Meath County Senior Football Championship Final between Ratoath and Summerhill at Páirc Tailteann in Navan, Meath. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile
Gillespie, to his credit, took responsibility for the incident, saying that he had been drawn in by the furore on the pitch, and had overreacted in confronting Brady:
Look to be honest I saw our guys reacting to a bit of a late hit and I was running down to tell our guys to get back and play and get the play going again - And as I turned around I got a dunt in the back. And at the time I interpreted that David had dunted me and to be fair he hadn’t he was just standing in his position and I turned around into him - but I thought he had dunted me and I reacted to that and I shouldered him to the ground.
To be fair the fault for that lies on my behalf. I misinterpreted the situation and reacted in a poor way and paid the price and cost my team a minute or two of play. So it was an example of poor leadership that was punished.
The sportsmanship from David Brady and Conor Gillespie at full-time was a pleasant end to a tense and low-scoring Meath final.
SEE ALSO: In Pictures: The Barrs End 29-Year Drought In Biblical Cork Deluge
