The problem is not with referees, it’s with the directions they’re being told to follow
THE exasperation was written all over Anthony Daly’s face when he aired his concerns – which are shared by many hurling folk – about the pedantic officiating which is threatening to ruin the game. The two-time All-Ireland-winning Clare captain cut a frustrated figure on RTÉ TV show ‘Allianz League Sunday’ when detailing an astounding 92 frees in two games between Croke Park on Saturday evening and Páirc Uí Chaoimh the following afternoon.
Toilets and hotdog stands were much busier than normal at GAA HQ during the clash between Wexford and Dublin, such was the general annoyance among spectators as Johnny Murphy blew his whistle with painful regularity, 50 times in total despite being in charge of a clean game with few stray strokes.
The Limerick referee flashed 13 yellow cards as well as three reds and was the centre of attention throughout, while Seán Cleere was similarly in the spotlight, blowing a whopping 42 frees – 26 of which were converted – between Cork and Limerick.
It’s easy to point the finger at the referees in question. However, Daly’s closing question, asking “what instructions are they being given?”, is the one that really hits home as the whistlers are strangled by the system.
The last two summers have been phenomenal for hurling, with the introduction of the Munster and Leinster SHC round-robin reinvigorating the provincial championships, and yet those in power seem hellbent on flexing their muscles. It’s causing consternation as the implementation of rules varies greatly depending on the referee in charge.
It is understood that the league panel of hurling referees met last week for their usual pre-game training and briefing, where the National Referees Committee warned of vigilance towards certain infringements, which must be refereed as instructed.
A clampdown on any illegal handpasses is said to be top of their agenda – throwing the sliotar is rife in the game having been loosely refereed in recent years – with the idea of scrapping the hand-pass and allowing a throw also mooted for the very near future if needed.
There has been some confusion around the advantage rule, with Murphy intent on blowing up the play immediately after the foul occurred and not letting the play continue, while zero tolerance on high challenges is another chief priority.
That edict from high resulted in two high-profile games being destroyed, but Murphy and Cleere are likely to have satisfied their assessor in the stand and ticked all the necessary boxes having seemingly carried out instructions to the letter of the law.
Common sense seems to be removed from the equation and this is a worrying trend, although similar instances have occurred in recent league campaigns only for marked refereeing changes come summer time when it matters most.
“You have to allow a balance where you keep law and order and you let the game flow. We have to have that,” Daly said after watching a glorified free-taking competition between Limerick’s Aaron Gillane and Cork
sharpshooter Patrick Horgan in another stop-start affair.
Wexford boss Davy Fitzgerald described their two-point win over Dublin as “probably one of the most frustrating games I have ever been involved in” and that “we have a great game and it’s important we mind it”.
Fitzgerald insisted that “you can blow for a free every minute or two in hurling, but it’s important to be sensible”, although referees and those assessing their decisions look to be poles apart in terms of thinking compared to players and spectators.
Yes, there are fouls, but hurling is not foul-ridden despite the average free count per game going up considerably in recent years due to stricter officiating. If every rule was refereed as per the rule book, there would be a free every minute and there must be a certain interpretation of the rules or
Common sense seems to be removed from the equation – a worrying trend
the game could be destroyed by the whistle.
It’s no coincidence that one of the games of the weekend, Waterford against Galway, had three-time All-Ireland final referee James Owens in the middle where he went largely unnoticed and only used his whistle when necessary, with just over 20 frees in a thoroughly enjoyable affair.
It’s fitting that referees come under the spotlight in the week that sees the motion to introduce a black card into hurling debated at Congress. This is despite there being little appetite for such a change from the majority of the main stakeholders.
Perhaps those in power should sort out the correct implementation of the current rules before trying to introduce others which are not merited and could potentially destroy a game which is like no other.