VAR would just ruin hurling for players and fans
PREMIER STAR JOHN HOPES DELEGATES DO NOT JUMP INTO DECISION
TIPPERARY star John O’dwyer says introducing video technology to Gaelic games “will ruin it for everyone”.
Indeed, ‘Bubbles’ is against a raft of proposals for the game that will be debated at the GAA’S Annual Congress, which gets underway at Croke Park this evening and concludes tomorrow.
In light of an umpiring gaffe which arguably cost them a place in last year’s All-ireland hurling final, Limerick have put forward a motion which would extend the use of Hawk Eye to checking the validity of a score or the awarding of a free/sideline/wide/45 or 65 or square infringement. Although it would be limited to two failed requests per team per match, O’dwyer said: “I think it would just ruin the game to be honest.
“It’s supposed to be a fast-paced sport.
“It’s supposed to be the quickest field sport in the world. “Bringing in technology, you see with VAR in soccer, it’s after completely ruining the whole game.
“It will ruin it for spectators, will ruin it for players, will ruin it for everyone.”
O’dwyer says that human error with officials must be accepted and would advocate a second referee ahead of technology.
“If you were to change something, maybe get a second ref in there and give the man a hand.
“You are expecting one man to look after 30 men, you are expecting one man to get from the 21 to the other 21, especially in hurling, when a puck of the ball can go 100 yards.
“Football is slightly different. The longest kick in football is maybe 50 yards, you can deal with it.”
A motion calling for the sin bin in football to be applied to hurling is not favoured by
O’dwyer either.
“A sin-bin is a no-go, and I think that for football too. I think it is just words being thrown around.
“If a corner-back is pulling and tearing out of you, what do you expect, what are you going to do? They are not going to let you run through.
“It is pulling and tearing, it is part of the game. It was there 10 years ago, it was there 50 years ago, and if you don’t have that from the backs who are marking you, it becomes like a game of tennis or a game of basketball.”
O’dwyer is one of the better exponents of splitting the posts from sideline balls but, once more, he doesn’t favour the motion to award two points for that skill.
“Again, I don’t think so. Why change things that are working?
“It is obviously a big skill and a lot of lads around that are able to do it.
“Obviously, if I was in a position where we were a point down in a county final or a Munster final or something like that and I had a chance I would be confident of doing it and winning it for you.
“But I don’t think it warrants anything more than the one point.”
The main business of Congress this evening will be to elect the 40th president of the GAA, with the bulk of the 63 motions to be debated tomorrow to varying degrees.
Armagh’s Jarlath Burns is the 4/5 favourite followed by Larry Mccarthy (New York, 2/1), Jerry O’sullivan (Cork, 13/2), Mick Rock (Roscommon, 15/2) and Jim Bolger (Carlow, 11/1).
The winner will succeed current president John Horan in 12 months’ time.