Standard of Refs

[6th sam]

Gaelic football is a tough game to referee made worse by the Mark rule and black card including timing .
It strikes me that for any controversial decisions around contact , you could find some foul on TV replay eg Steven O'Brien's crucial "soft free" v Derry . In the same game early on Derry, were  penalised  for over carrying in a swarm tackle with rabble rousing approval by Kerry players and supporters. Yet if u look at Tv replay the referee could/?should have given a free . But many praise refs for letting it go or showing common sense. Soccer and nfl and rugby refs are never lauded fir letting it go and showing common sense. I'd be interested in MR's view in this as a referee.
If I had a choice I would help referees by :
1. Get rid of mark
2. Get rid of black card
3. Heavily Penalise jeopardising an opponent eg head tackles, even consider outlawing shoulder charge as it's impossible to always judge fairly
4. Grade and reward referees better

James McCarthy is a brilliant player perhaps best defender in the history of game in terms of achievement and winning mentality, but he gets away with head high tackles all the time . With concussion concerns ,reducing  head high tackles must be a priority . There still will be plenty of physicality in the game without endangering the head

[yellowcard]

What's your definition of "physical contact"?

I don't think the tackle has ever been clearly defined in the rule book, its often left open to the interpretation of the individual referee. That is often why teams will adapt their approach to the referee on the day as different refs will allow different levels of physicality. As a spectator I don't want to watch a stop start encounter riddled with free kicks and as long as there is an honest attempt to play the ball and not endanger the opponent I think a referee should use their discretion to apply the rules as they see fit. Hurling has it much better than football which has almost become a non contact sport with some referees.     

[Milltown Row2]

I'm not against the 'mark' from kick outs, forward 'mark' is silly as is the defensive one.

The black card should only be for deliberate trips/pull downs I'm tired of watching players trying to instigate a black card by running purposely into players who basically stand their ground or genuinely trying to avoid collision. Even seen players get black card for jersey pulling each other, one goes down and the other happens to get carded!

The black card for abuse to referees is perfect but not used enough, probably only used it a handful of times, though definitely going to use it more often

Over the shoulder tackles are fouls, but players seem to be still coached to do it, accidentally making contact with players head can be a yellow, the initial contact McCarthy had wasn't to head but there was minimal contact but it wasnt a yellow in my book, the second one was for sure and it was his third free thus even by any standard that earns you a yellow, it was lazy looking but still a yellow. As for last one he genuinely looked to toe poke the ball away before the Kerry lad went down to dip the ball

Referees are not professional and there is not enough money in the game to entice them to give up their career to referee 'full time' 6 months of the year

There are professional referees in the PL and they are never done slating them, people are just moany shites.

Teams at the highest level know the refs traits and if they don't, that's on them. I've a style others reading the same rules have their style, we are all ex players and feel that how we approach and manage the game is grand, but certainly none come away thinking they got all the calls right.

Done a match the other week, a grown man, a coach on the team was telling me I must be riding the full-forward! Like seriously, this is what I feel is the biggest problem

[whitey]

What were the two reds you talked about? Black I'm not sure on tbh - someone said it but I don't buy it.

Head high challenges

Dangerous/reckless play/intentional striking

O'Shea did same 'high tackle' didn't even get a card for his? was that Kerry biased ?

Did O Shea do it multiple times and did he also have a potential black card offense overlooked for good measure?

[Wildweasel74]

A few years bck they clamped down on deliberate head high tackles (Think Mooney of Down, getting sent off, even though I think he didn't mean it) Then they decided a head high tackle a yellow card offence, que open season last no of yrs with head high tackles every game, cause players know they only get a yellow card. There used to be a rule dangerous play which I presume still exists. Half them head high tackles are red card offences previous. Like Rubgy they only  act after something serious happens.

[Wildweasel74]

Somebody mentioned Kennelly, that lad should got red first day 1min in. no f**king around, this attitude of oh we have to make a game of it, that's not the ref job. it's the biggest reason alot of games end up been tight.

[imtommygunn]

What were the two reds you talked about? Black I'm not sure on tbh - someone said it but I don't buy it.

Head high challenges

Dangerous/reckless play/intentional striking

I get why people might think that McCarthy should have been put off but there were not two straight red card offences in that game or everyone would be talking about it. Red for persistent fouling maybe but two straight reds no. Otherwise why wasn't it being talked about by everyone?

[Rossfan]

Yellow card, the tackle is clearly defined in the Rules .
To summarise.   It's a skill and is made on the ball within the rules of fair play.
It then lists things not allowed like slapping etc.

It's players who commit fouls yet everyone wants Refs to ignore them so "the game can flow" and so "I don't want to be watching a stop start game"

Of course enforcing rules on ball carriers would be a good place to start... 

[restorepride]

What were the two reds you talked about? Black I'm not sure on tbh - someone said it but I don't buy it.

Head high challenges

Dangerous/reckless play/intentional striking

I get why people might think that McCarthy should have been put off but there were not two straight red card offences in that game or everyone would be talking about it. Red for persistent fouling maybe but two straight reds no. Otherwise why wasn't it being talked about by everyone?

Exactly. Some haven't got over their disappointment yet and I understand that. Time is a sort of healer. What we really need to avoid is expecting ever ref to get every call right, in one viewing and in a split second. Impossible.

[imtommygunn]

Honestly don't think any ref could have done a much better job than he did on Sunday. Couldn't have asked for much more.

[guevara]

What were the two reds you talked about? Black I'm not sure on tbh - someone said it but I don't buy it.

Head high challenges

Dangerous/reckless play/intentional striking

I get why people might think that McCarthy should have been put off but there were not two straight red card offences in that game or everyone would be talking about it. Red for persistent fouling maybe but two straight reds no. Otherwise why wasn't it being talked about by everyone?

Exactly. Some haven't got over their disappointment yet and I understand that. Time is a sort of healer. What we really need to avoid is expecting ever ref to get every call right, in one viewing and in a split second. Impossible.

Who said McCarthy had a single red card offence?  He definitely was guilty of numerous challenges that normally would be generally accepted as Yellow/Black Card offences. The accumulation would have resulted in him being sidelined as per the rules of the game.

Nobody is yet to explain how Gough and his officials missed Costello throwing a punch and getting away with it?

I actually like Gough as a Referee but when he is put in charge of The Dubs in pressure games he has a tendency to let them cross the line.

It is well documented that he was effectively their In house Referee
The GAA should have more cop on and stop making problems for itself.

[imtommygunn]

Whitey said it... Two straight red cards and one black card he said.

Honestly didn't think his performance was that controversial at all and on your point of Gough seeing Dublin over the line I think Kerry do well enough out of decisions too. They did pretty well in the semi not that that should matter in the context of this game.

[restorepride]

What were the two reds you talked about? Black I'm not sure on tbh - someone said it but I don't buy it.

Head high challenges

Dangerous/reckless play/intentional striking

I get why people might think that McCarthy should have been put off but there were not two straight red card offences in that game or everyone would be talking about it. Red for persistent fouling maybe but two straight reds no. Otherwise why wasn't it being talked about by everyone?

Exactly. Some haven't got over their disappointment yet and I understand that. Time is a sort of healer. What we really need to avoid is expecting ever ref to get every call right, in one viewing and in a split second. Impossible.

Who said McCarthy had a single red card offence?  He definitely was guilty of numerous challenges that normally would be generally accepted as Yellow/Black Card offences. The accumulation would have resulted in him being sidelined as per the rules of the game.

Nobody is yet to explain how Gough and his officials missed Costello throwing a punch and getting away with it?

I actually like Gough as a Referee but when he is put in charge of The Dubs in pressure games he has a tendency to let them cross the line.

It is well documented that he was effectively their In house Referee
The GAA should have more cop on and stop making problems for itself.

It can be explained.  Can I ask first if you were at the match or watched in on tv?

[guevara]

I 100% agree with you on another day Kerry maybe would have come off second best in that Semi-Final. However McKaigue committed the same exact foul (Jersey pull) multiple times and was lucky too.

But we are discussing The AIF here. Some people on here seem to be off the opinion that "as long as The Ref gets most things right  its ok" or "sure Kerry are dirty too".

The bullshit that gets put out "GAA has gone soft" ,"You can't be physical" or "he was going for the ball" is just a cowards way of justifying cheap shots.

There has been a push from.within The GAA to put Dublin at the top of the pile via unfair financial aid, competition bias & it now appears to have filtered down to our Referees.
Keep Dublin happy & they keep getting the big gigs. But dare to punish them, even when they appear to cross the line then it's goodbye to the paydays and celebrity.

[guevara]

What were the two reds you talked about? Black I'm not sure on tbh - someone said it but I don't buy it.

Head high challenges

Dangerous/reckless play/intentional striking

I get why people might think that McCarthy should have been put off but there were not two straight red card offences in that game or everyone would be talking about it. Red for persistent fouling maybe but two straight reds no. Otherwise why wasn't it being talked about by everyone?

Exactly. Some haven't got over their disappointment yet and I understand that. Time is a sort of healer. What we really need to avoid is expecting ever ref to get every call right, in one viewing and in a split second. Impossible.

Who said McCarthy had a single red card offence?  He definitely was guilty of numerous challenges that normally would be generally accepted as Yellow/Black Card offences. The accumulation would have resulted in him being sidelined as per the rules of the game.

Nobody is yet to explain how Gough and his officials missed Costello throwing a punch and getting away with it?

I actually like Gough as a Referee but when he is put in charge of The Dubs in pressure games he has a tendency to let them cross the line.

It is well documented that he was effectively their In house Referee
The GAA should have more cop on and stop making problems for itself.

It can be explained.  Can I ask first if you were at the match or watched in on tv?

I was at the game & have re-watched it as well. Why whats your point?