The middle man
December 31, 1999
Nobber's Eugene McDonnell is one of the longest serving referees on the Meath GAA club scene. He talks to Royal County about his whistling career and says that, contrary to popular opinion, it's not a thankless existence.
Every year at the County Board convention they plead with club delegates to supply referees for club and county games. Invariably, these calls fall on deaf ears and it doesn't take a genius to work out why.
In gaelic football, the man in the middle ploughs a lone furrow. Even when they get it right, they get it wrong; with all the public scrutiny and denouncements, who in their right mind would want to be a referee?
I put that question to Nobber's Eugene McDonnell, one of the longest serving referees in Meath. "Obviously I can't speak for anyone else but I find refereeing very enjoyable and I class it as a hobby. Some call it a thankless existence but I enjoy it during the summer when I'd be officiating at four to five games a week, I'd do more if I had the spare time. Refereeing has provided me with a lot of pleasure over the years and it's also a a good way of keeping fit."
Eugene first blew the whistle in 1984 and since then he has earned a reputation as one of the best in the business. It's his strict application of the rules which has moulded him into one the Royal County's top officials. His curriculum vitae includes all underage finals (including five minors), all adult League deciders, and two Junior championship finals as well as Junior 'C' and Junior 'B'.
He has also officiated at Intermediate and Senior semi-finals. In 1986 he was awarded the 'Young Referee of the Year' award.
"I first started refereeing when two of my sons, Trevor and Malcolm, were playing underage football. There was always a problem getting people to referee the games so I stepped in, developed a liking for it, and climbed up the ladder ever since."
Individual styles often cause problems with refereeing. While the rules are a common denominator, the interpretation of them can be very different
"Inconsistency is a big problem amongst referees and there's no excuse for it as far as I'm concerned. There's only between 18 to 20 rules and if you obey them then you'll be all right. But, for some reason, some refs interpret the rules differently and it's a constant source of annoyance for players, managers, supporters alike when they're blown up for a foul which they were allowed get away with a week before. Something has to be done to rectify the situation."
Attending matches you'd get the impression that enduring abuse is part and parcel for the referee, but Eugene insists that it's not as widespread as some people would have you believe.
"To tell you the truth I haven't encountered much abuse, there have been times, obviously, when I've been at the receiving end of it but, in general, I've been lucky enough . . . even though I get a lot of awkward games. I'm constantly having to get on to Barney (Allen) because he insists on giving them to me!" laughs the 'An Post' employee.
"Seriously though, the majority of clubs in Meath now know where they stand in relation to refereeing. The players and management of most teams can be very understanding. I find the big problem comes from the supporters behind the wire but that's just because they've a poor knowledge of the rules."
Eugene is fortunate to have a reliable team of umpires to call upon, his three sons, the aforementioned Trevor and Malcolm along with Dwayne, as well as Lukie Meehan and Charlie McGillick.
"I never go to a game without them, your own set of umpires is very important. When you have to rely on the participating clubs to provide you with them you're asking for trouble because, needless to say, they'll not be as honest as your own. When my own make a decision, I abide by it, that's the end of it."
Have you any intentions of calling it a day soon? "I hope to continue until I'm about fifty, that's another three years, as long as I'm healthy and fit enough to do so. Fitness is a big thing in refereeing because you have to be able to keep up with the play. That way players/management/supporters have no comeback when you make your decision. Barney McCluskey is a great man, he only gave it up last year at fifty-seven years of age."
By his own admission, Eugene never set the playing fields alight, his participation was confined to U14s with Nobber. But he has been involved with coaching teams in the past, Nobber, Carlanstown and Kilmainham have each been under his guidance at one time or another. Div. 3 honours were captured with both Carlanstown and Kilmainham.
Eugene moved from Nobber to Carlanstown four years ago but his interest in his native club has been maintained by the fact that his son, Dwayne, lines out with the black and amber's U16 and U17 sides.
A former secretary of Nobber GFC, he played his part in the development of the north Meath club's fine facilities. "The club have unbelievable facilities there, it's really a credit to the many dedicated people that Nobber are fortunate to have. Unfortunately, things haven't been going to well from us on the pitch these last few years.
"We had a good run in the senior grade in the eighties, in fact we were very unlucky not to win a senior championship in '82. Walterstown, who had a brilliant team back then, won the Keegan Cup but they only scraped through against Nobber after a replay.
"We then lost a number of players, fellas like Gerry and Andy McEntee, and in a club like ours you can't afford to lose any players, let alone your two best. But there's been some encouraging sign at underage level recently, they've won a couple of competitions. Tom Lambe and Phil Clarke are in charge of the team which Dwayne plays on and they're doing tremendous work. Hopefully it won't be too long before they're back as strong contenders for the championship."
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