if a highly trained and experienced ref makes a call to send someone off it should be upheld
Even if the player should not have been sent off? Come on, how can that be the right thing to do? I feel that because a GAA pitch is so big, and gaelic football is a fast game, one referee cannot be expected to see everything. One example of this from last Saturday's game in the first half- ball played into Benny Coulter in the top left corner. Benny and his marker were between the referee and the ball. Referee too far away to see the ball. Benny out his foot under the ball and picked it up, but referee gave a free out for picking the ball off the ground. This happened right in front of me. The referee just assumed it was picked off the ground and gave the free. It's no wonder players and fans get so infuriated.
Why not make the referees' job easier by giving the linesmen more authority. In soccer a linesman can signal a foul. Their pitches are a lot smaller, the games a lot slower, and the referees probably a lot fitter. It makes sense to empower linesmen.
the saul man is right, laois were on a strong comebcak as a result of him being sent off and thankfully it wasnt enough in the end to beat us. justice was done and there was never a worry in my head that he was going to miss because the evidence was there on the sunday game that he was innocent.