Horgan calls for more stepping time for hurlers

IN A profile piece in the match programme for the Ballygunner-Ballyea Munster club hurling semi-final last Sunday, top referee Fergal Horgan was asked what rule he would like to see changed.

Reply? “Increase the number of steps to six – it would be much fairer.”

Presumably his reasoning is that six steps, rather than four as per current rule, would give the player in possession more room and time to manoeuvre free of the tackler(s) into open space.

Of course there are many who believe that a sixstep dispensation – and sometimes a seven- or eightstep one – already applies.

It’s as if referees don’t believe in the four-step rule and are happy to ignore it in favour of keeping the game flowing at all costs.

Asked for the advice he would give to aspiring referees, Horgan replied: “Referee as many games as possible and only take advice from coordinators/assessors as regards performance.”

Here’s a question: who are the assessors and who assesses them? Surely that should be made known from time to time.