Tyrell calls on GAA to act over moment of 'madness'

Jackie Tyrrell has called on the GAA to make a serious statement in relation to non-playing participants from getting involved following the controversy surrounding Sunday's Munster championship match between Limerick and Waterford.

Limerick’s Gearoid Hegarty appeared to be struck in the chest by a member of the Waterford backroom team following an incident involving the towering forward and Conor Gleeson.

And former Kilkenny star Tyrell believes that the GAA now need to take immediate action regarding the incident to ensure that similar scenes are not replicated in this year’s championship.

"What was going through his head? It was madness," said Tyrrell, speaking on this week’s RTÉ Sport GAA Podcast.

"What he was doing? Coming down and hitting Gearoid Hegarty in the stomach, there is no place in the game for that and he should get a hefty ban, and deserved.

"This is something that the GAA needs to come down on and come down hard. If this is not stamped out of the game, it is not going to be good.

"We have venues around the place where it is tight on sidelines, you think of Ennis, you think of Wexford Park, it is tight enough down there and if you have bodies flying into each other, flashpoints on the sideline and managers going mental on the sideline trying to get the advantage, it is going to have to be really well policed.

"Sending a message out from the GAA to this character has to be done to make sure that guys know they can’t breach the line and carry on like this as it was crazy what he was at."

Limerick, of course, are looking to secure their fourth All-Ireland title in a row, and while Tyrrell felt that it was a below-par performance from John Kiely’s men, who secured a narrow 1-18 to 0-19 win against the Deise, he