Keeping a watch on abusing sin-bin rule
DAVID GOUGH shone a welcome light on the injurytime issue which dominated the GAA news agenda this week,
He revealed that referees receive high-end watches which facilitate their ability to compute the amount of injury-time – Down official Ciarán Branagan was proven correct in playing nine minutes in the Dublin/ Monaghan game, adding to that sense of competence – so it is best to leave well enough alone.
That still does not stop the old issue of a hooter/ countdown clock rearing its head – Kerry legend Tomás Ó Sé the latest to give it an airing.
However, apart from physical and financial practicalities, the GAA had good reason not to proceed with it.
In college trial games, it was found that teams possessing a narrow lead allowed the clock to run down by simply not risking the turnover of possession – diminishing games as a spectacle.
However, there is still a role for a timekeeper independent of the referee for another issue which is blight on the game.
There have been incidents of teams deliberately ‘killing’ the clock with players going down injured when a team-mate has been sent to the sin-bin.
The referee can add that dead time on, but that has no impact on its dilution of the 10-minute sin-bin sanction.
However, a fourth official armed with a similar watch as referees, should be charged with determining when the 10 minutes of legitimate playing time has elapsed before allowing the sanctioned player back on to the field.