Expected demise of black card is so far off target
WHAT has impressed most in the aftermath of the black card hype which dominated the GAA news agenda was the level-headed approach of those caught in the eye of the storm.
None more so than Jonny Cooper, who had reason more than most to bellyache after he was sent off 18 minutes into the replay, but this week he was adamant it was a force for good.
Which it undoubtedly has been and which is why if the black card itself disappears, the concept will live on.
For all the shortcomings of its application, it has rid the game of much of its cynical fouling – not least the prolific practice of body-checks – and those who believe that the GAA will simply return the game to its cynical past are living in cloud cuckoo land.
It is not an option and a tip of the hat also this week to Sean Walsh, head of the national referees committee, who was already pointing the way forward.
‘The outcry is over the punishment. There was an outcry the last time mostly from the managers concerning the sin-bin. I don’t believe that would be there now,’ said Walsh.
The black card has proved to be such a hard but necessary medicine to swallow that it will sweeten whatever comes down the line to succeed it.
And the sin-bin is a nobrainer – in that it punishes the team as much as the individual – but not only will the concept of the black card survive, it needs to be expanded.
The review of the black card should extend beyond what shape the deterrent should take and must also ensure that the infractions it legislates for are broadened to include all cautionable fouls which are deliberate and cynical.
That would make it easier for referees and ensure the culture of cynicism, which has been diluted over the past three years, will continue to fade out of the game.