Ref justice: GAA officials need more support or huge mistakes will keep costing teams

RECRUITING new referees is becoming increasingly difficult in the GAA or any other sport for that matter.

However, we have to highlight the increasing number of high-profile result-altering calls and ask is it time to have someone sitting in the stands to help under-pressure inter-county referees.

No one wants a VAR equivalent entering the GAA lexicon. Hawkeye took long enough to be accepted when it was first introduced back in 2013. The Hawkeye technology is far from perfect but over the past decade has proven a bigger help than a hindrance.

At the same time, no one can deny that the pace of inter-county GAA games is increasing with each passing season. So are the demands on referees to make on-the-spot decisions under the most intense pressure.

Instead of continually messing with the on-field rules of hurling and football, couldn’t GAA top brass instead look at experimenting with another official sitting in the stands?

A fourth official, complete with earpiece and monitor, could help out a referee by relaying an instant ‘you got that right’ or ‘you got that wrong’ message to his or her fellow official.

This past weekend alone, the Clare senior hurlers and Cork minor footballers felt aggrieved at refereeing decisions late in their respective games.

Limerick’s fifth consecutive Munster SHC success was an historic achievement. The manner in which John Kiely’s side held off a strong Clare challenge was as impressive as the atmosphere generated by the 43,756 supporters in attendance.

Yet all the chatter emanating from the TUS Gaelic Grounds surrounded Liam Gordon.

The Munster final match referee’s decision not to award Tony Kelly an injury-time free, when the Clare forward appeared to be fouled, is still being debated.

In the heat of an intense battle, and with a Munster title on the line, such a huge and result-altering decision required careful consideration.

Gordon made an honest and instant call, electing not to award the free (there could have been another Clare free awarded shortly after). That led to vociferous after-match protestations from the Clare management team and players. 

It was hard not to feel sorry for them. It was equally hard not to feel sorry for the referee.

Could one message, from a match official sitting in the stands utilising a monitor and close-up view, have offered referee Liam Gordon a more informed point of view?

A day before, Dublin ended Cork’s interest in this year’s Electric Ireland All-Ireland minor football championship at UPMC Nolan Park.

The Dubs took advantage of some uncharacteristic Cork errors and erased a six-point deficit to deservedly win 1-18 to 2-12.

CONTROVERSIAL

Again, a late refereeing decision dominated the headlines. Match official Niall McKenna’s ruling not to award Cork a free (when leading by a point) after Denis O’Mullane seemed to be hauled down by Ryan Mitchell drew the ire of Rebel players and supporters.

It is worth noting that McKenna correctly yellow and black-carded Dublin defenders Ryan Mitchell and Luke O’Boyle late in the game. The winners finished with 13 outfield players and, in truth, a misfiring Cork could have little complaint with the outcome.

Yet that Ryan Mitchell foul (or non-foul) felt like a signicant moment in a tight game and one Cork never recovered from.

Could one message, from a match official sitting in the stands utilising a monitor and close-up view, have offered referee Niall McKenna a more informed point of view?

The pace of inter-county GAA matches is getting faster and faster. So are the increasing demands on match officials to make huge season-defining calls. 

Is it not fair to ask that those referees, assistants and umpires get some additional help?

It is over a year since former All-Star, All-Ireland and Munster-winning Limerick hurler Shane Dowling raised the same question via his RTÉ online column.

A long-time advocate of experimenting with video assistance referees, former All-Star Dowling made the valid point that referees have only two eyes and 30 players to keep an eye on.

“Fourth officials, rather than trying to be like security guards on the sideline and annoying managers, would be better suited sitting behind a TV monitor and coming to the referee’s assistance if required,” Dowling said.

Controversial refereeing decisions are not going away. It is time to help the men and women in the middle.

Is it not fair to ask that those referees, assistants and umpires get some additional help?