Given the reaction to the refereeing at the weekend, what do we need to do?

As a referee, you are making calls from 40-50-60 yards away, do we all agree we need to have 2 referees, better umpires who can call square balls etc and the introduction of a black card, re-trying of the sin-bin rather or sending off a player for a 2nd yellow? I am not convinced the black card will do much other than let a new player loose to foul the player who is proving a threat. The sin-bin was got rid of by Cody, etc at the time and as a result we have a situation where referees have no option but to send a player off for a 2nd yellow.

I would propose:
1. 1 referee and 1 umpire at each goal. This referee can call penalties/square balls/free-ins where the referee asks him to. At that stage, you have 5 fully qualified referees watching the game. That is more than enough.
2. It is completely unfair on a player to be sent off for a 2nd yellow. I would be in favour of either a black card or a sin-bin, with the player sitting out 5-10-15 minutes for a 2nd yellow. If he has a 3rd, then it's red.
3. Take time keeping off the referee. Let the 4th official do the time keeping and have a "time on, time off" style like rugby.

What else can we do? There is no point in us moaning about refereeing if we do nothing to make their job easier.

Pinkie (Wexford) - Posts: 4100 - 14/07/2014 16:44:10    1619140

Your right Pinkie.That is why referees should be cut some slack.Seriously hard job.They always have,do and will continue to make mistakes.I would never be one to shout and scream obscenities at a referee.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 14/07/2014 17:07:50    1619160

I think the best thing most supporters could do is to cop on to themselves & lighten up a bit on referees.

They are human & like the players & management will make mistakes, such is life.

Now the umpires, that is a whole different story...........

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 14/07/2014 17:28:04    1619175

Well said Muckross.

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13654 - 14/07/2014 17:37:23    1619188

theres an easy solution
you dont need the ref being the only one making all the calls
you have two linesmen and four umpires and a 4th official
let the fourth official do the time keeping
and have the linesmen and umpires assist the ref far more
just like kelly did in wexford park on saturday night

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 14/07/2014 17:39:16    1619190

I believe due to the speed of the game we need 2 referees. 1 in each half.
umpires are a waste of time and really don't assist the refs in any way.

Foley91 (Meath) - Posts: 418 - 14/07/2014 18:08:32    1619215

With Clare out of the Championship its likely that the standard will improve.

In fairness - they've taken it for the 2 All-Ireland finals last year, Cork and the Wexford replay this year, That's 4 from their last 5 games

.. and before lads from Cork and Wexford start hopping, ye fully deserved your respective victories this year. Just making the point that a team which light up the world of hurling in such magical fashion seemed to be a little hard done by!

Ban (Westmeath) - Posts: 1468 - 14/07/2014 21:26:28    1619375

There's a hurling development committee survey available for all players, coaches, fans etc. where you can give your opinion on changes you'd like to see in both how the game is coached but also how the game is refereed/officiated. I'm not sure what will emerge from it but I guess if there's a groundswell of opinion for certain changes to be made, the committee may be able to bring motions to congress on them. I'll post the link tomorrow, I don't have it to hand right now. Worth filling out if ye have a spare ten minutes.

ballydalane (Kilkenny) - Posts: 1256 - 14/07/2014 21:38:26    1619389

A sin bin or black card will do nothing for hurling. There is very little point in cynically fouling a player as unlike football any fouls within a 100m is a scorable chance so we don't really see persistent fouling and pulling a man down for a penalty only delays the enviable in most cases.

Secondly I dont agree with Muckross, the harder we can come down on the officials the better. They aren't upto scratch and their peers are enforcing a rulebook which is completely disconnected with the game. You chip in the complete inconsistency with refs which I believe is unacceptable and its a mess. Steven McDonald batted a ball in the Munster Final on Sunday, missed it and hit a Limerick guy with force on the back of of the head. result = free, no yellow. Last year Horgan made contact with O'Brien with minimal contact. result = free, red card.

Issue here is you've lads in Croke Park and some of whom from football corners making the rules with no idea what its lie to play and be a part of the game today.

crossfieldball (Galway) - Posts: 650 - 15/07/2014 09:31:42    1619433

crossfieldball why wouldnt a black card or sin-bin do anything for hurling? The problem is that every time Ogie got goal-side of Jack Browne he was fouled, so basically Browne stopped him creating a goal chance for the concession of a free. A sin-bin or black card will mean full back line need to hurl the ball rather than fouling the man. That is the logic of it

Pinkie (Wexford) - Posts: 4100 - 15/07/2014 10:59:09    1619490

Clare are gone!.....That will see an end to complaining about refs!!!
The rest of us can now get on with playing the championship in peace!

Regards,

Snufalufagus....Laochra Gael

Snufalufagus (Dublin) - Posts: 8100 - 15/07/2014 11:07:09    1619495

It's a tough job lads but here is my opinion. Each game should be reviewed by a panel and points award or deducted for referees.
The refs with the best performance based on this should be given the biggest games.
So basically the referees who perform the best get to the All Ireland final just like the teams who play.
I suppose the logistics and effort required would be something that needs to be looked at.

Nick (Wexford) - Posts: 1100 - 15/07/2014 11:13:41    1619505

I'm flabbergasted that for all the complaining people were doing about the refereeing at the weekend, very few seem to have any ideas on how to improve it!
So I take it they are happy to allow status quo to continue but berate the official when it is their team which comes a cropper over a poor refereeing decision?

Pinkie (Wexford) - Posts: 4100 - 15/07/2014 14:02:40    1619628

How about players learn the rules and when they foul hold up their hand so that referees can blow the whistle!

The biggest contributor to how a game is refereed are players

zinny (Wexford) - Posts: 1955 - 15/07/2014 17:03:10    1619784

Nothing wrong with the refereeing at the weekend. The ref made some bad calls in the Wexford game. A Clare goal should have been disallowed for a rugby tackle on O'Hanlon. A good goal was disallowed for Wexford where McDonald was not in the square. Clare had two frees not given in extra time. These things balance out. Just because Davy Fitzgerald has had a whine and moan after every single game his team has played in, doesn't mean there's anything too wrong with the refereeing. He should be looking at the indiscipline of his own team a bit more closely.

icehonesty (Wexford) - Posts: 2573 - 15/07/2014 18:11:27    1619852

Sometimes the decision can be monumental and undo a seasons preparations and hard work. For that reason teams and players deserve more. Look at the mistake James McGrath made in the Antrim v Offaly game. He made the call under immense pressure from 70 yards away. Had a linesman or 2nd official been allowed to make the call Antrim would have went through to the next round of the qualifiers. Tomas Mulcahy did a great job in highlighting this particular case on the Sunday game.

smellymullane (Antrim) - Posts: 20 - 15/07/2014 18:23:45    1619864

Can I just point out that limerick have played 2 games and had 1 valid goal disallowed and been blown back when we had a forward one on one with a keeper for v v little (pundits agree).

As well as that we have conceded a goal in both games after 7 or 8 steps were taken with ball in hand. Thats a potential 6 point turn around in each game. Hard to take but will be harder to take if it continues into the next game two or three ( hopefully)

disillusiondfan (Limerick) - Posts: 4279 - 15/07/2014 18:54:41    1619877

The refs are wining games for certain teams. They are playing god.
Kilkenny and Dublin got done last year. Clare this year. Limerick to a lesser degree this year. Limerick managed to beat Tipp with a good goal ruled out,and in the munster final, Cork got soft frees in the first half to keep them in the game when limerick were totally on top.

Its not fair on the players who train so hard. The refs are ruining the championship now. Has Referees anybody to answer to. Maybe a referee should be suspended after poor displayes. The standards of hurling and football have gone up and the referees make so many brutal decisions.

How many more years is it to continue. Refs need to be fair.

Sheedy (Galway) - Posts: 107 - 15/07/2014 20:01:32    1619926

Sheedy how did Clare get done this year. Cork hammerred them and even loughnane admitted most frees given against them were frees. Wexford had perfectly good goal disallowed last saturday. PPl dont want to see it but Care were well of the pace this year. Maybe they will see it if Waterford win at week end.

disillusiondfan (Limerick) - Posts: 4279 - 15/07/2014 20:14:46    1619938

Lads for all the above moaning, nobody is proposing solutions or ideas on what to do!

I've always given referees a bit of slack, I know 2 inter-county referees and I dont believe any referee would go out to deliberately "do" a team. I think there are wrong calls or calls where people disagree with the referee, but no referee is going to get every call right. But do people really think a referee who volunteers as much of his time as any player would go out and deliberately knock a county out of the All-Ireland? If you do, I think you need to start playing draughts or chess or table tennis.

Pinkie (Wexford) - Posts: 4100 - 15/07/2014 20:54:49    1619969