Sean Cavanagh has called on the GAA to copy the international rules model and use two referees to help clean up Gaelic football.

The four-time Tyrone All Star and former Ireland captain believes radical change is needed to address a game that is in danger of becoming 'ugly'. He also supports the introduction of a video referee to speed up disciplinary proceedings and a restriction on the number of consecutive handpasses to ensure kicking doesn't become a dying art.

"In international rules, you've always got a second referee at the other end of the field watching out for off-the-ball incidents and he can call a free," he told Philip Lanigan in the Irish Mail on Sunday.

"I honestly believe the GAA at some stage could look at reducing the number of umpires or linesman or whatever they have to do in order to engage another referee. You know as a player that one, you're getting protected - you're not getting thrown around or messed around off the ball - and two, nothing is going to be missed."

With the fall-out from the brawl that marred the All-Ireland junior club final between Dromid Pearses and Derrytresk still continuing, he claims such a move could help avoid such flashpoints.

"If there was a second referee there who would look after the off-the-ball stuff, it would leave less rows on the pitch.

"In the rules series as well there was the video referee and everybody knew they couldn't step out of line so it gave the players a real sense of security." Tweet

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