Is it finally time for two refs for all county games

[BennyCake]

Umpires have difficulty calling a point or a wide. It's laughable sometimes.

[Milltown Row2]

Yeah, I've never seen a forward pull and drag out of a tight marking defender

Works both ways and giving umpires 'more power' is a ridiculous idea, less power but two refs makes a lot more sense.

roll your eyes all you want dangleberry. I was at an ulster championship match this year, the first thing the full back down was to grab the forward by the throat and squeeze. then threw a couple of elbows into his back. All before the ref threw the ball in. Should the umpire not have brought this to the refs attention as was watching it with a shocked look on his face instead of looking at his feet?

He should have and if I was umpire it would have been brought to the referee's attention, again it's down to the referee how he instructs his team. And if this is picked up by his assessor/advisor then he'll get marked down for it.

It's very frustrating for fans/players and managers. Consistency is the key even if he was consistency bad you'll know then how to play the match or what to expect as a supporter lol

[johnneycool]

Umpires have difficulty calling a point or a wide. It's laughable sometimes.

I've umpired quite a few times and if the ball is over the height of the posts and falling at an angle that you can't get behind the post to view from, it ain't that easy.

[BennyCake]

Umpires have difficulty calling a point or a wide. It's laughable sometimes.

I've umpired quite a few times and if the ball is over the height of the posts and falling at an angle that you can't get behind the post to view from, it ain't that easy.

It's not just those ones. And it's the same with 50's as well.

[J OGorman]

Yeah, I've never seen a forward pull and drag out of a tight marking defender

Works both ways and giving umpires 'more power' is a ridiculous idea, less power but two refs makes a lot more sense.

roll your eyes all you want dangleberry. I was at an ulster championship match this year, the first thing the full back down was to grab the forward by the throat and squeeze. then threw a couple of elbows into his back. All before the ref threw the ball in. Should the umpire not have brought this to the refs attention as was watching it with a shocked look on his face instead of looking at his feet?

He should have and if I was umpire it would have been brought to the referee's attention, again it's down to the referee how he instructs his team. And if this is picked up by his assessor/advisor then he'll get marked down for it.

It's very frustrating for fans/players and managers. Consistency is the key even if he was consistency bad you'll know then how to play the match or what to expect as a supporter lol

consistency is certainly the key. But as a ref yoursel MR2, surely its the tackle thats the main issue? a swarm of defenders slapping at a man is a foul everytime? theres no way they are all tackling the ball. More often than not you see the attacking player blown for over carrying...bit of a gear grinder

[Lar Naparka]

I don't think using two refs is a practical idea. I feel it would cause more problems that it would solve. Two different personalities could lead to two different interpretations of some rules. A red card at one end might only be a yellow or a ticking off at the other.
Some of the rules are in need of major reform as things stand so there's no point in adding to the confusion that is already there.
What happens in the grey areas around centre field.?
Say a kickout is taken; seven or eight players are jostling under the  dropping ball;  at least a half dozen fouls are committed in the process as a maul develops and no referee can see what happening on the blind side, as it were.
So it's inevitable that ref A may award a free to one side while ref B awards a free to the other.
Ah, the more I think of it, the more I think two referees would only add to problems, no take from there.
Definitely the umpires and linesmen should have more say in what is going on as no referee in charge of thirty superbly fit and highly motivate athletes can be expected to see everything.

But what about imposing a maximum age limit for  refs in championship matches and having them undertake mandatory fitness tests at regular intervals?

I'd say Cormac Reilly is at least ten years older than Marc Ó Sé, the oldest playgoer on view last Saturday.
I would also say the Coldrick, McQuillan and Maurice Deegan are well over the 40 mark also. None of those four, all top-tier refs, can be half as fit as the players they are trying to control and to cap it all, they probably cover more ground in the course of a game than any player.
They can't afford to take a breather now and again like players can and they must be on high alert for the entire game.
No wonder refs get dogs' abuse for all quarters!

[AZOffaly]

If we had two refs, the only thing that would change would be the abuse. Instead of 'You miserable rotten robbing bastard' it would be 'You miserable rotten robbing bastards'.

[seafoid]

I don't think using two refs is a practical idea. I feel it would cause more problems that it would solve. Two different personalities could lead to two different interpretations of some rules. A red card at one end might only be a yellow or a ticking off at the other.
Some of the rules are in need of major reform as things stand so there's no point in adding to the confusion that is already there.
What happens in the grey areas around centre field.?
Say a kickout is taken; seven or eight players are jostling under the  dropping ball;  at least a half dozen fouls are committed in the process as a maul develops and no referee can see what happening on the blind side, as it were.
So it's inevitable that ref A may award a free to one side while ref B awards a free to the other.
Ah, the more I think of it, the more I think two referees would only add to problems, no take from there.
Definitely the umpires and linesmen should have more say in what is going on as no referee in charge of thirty superbly fit and highly motivate athletes can be expected to see everything.

But what about imposing a maximum age limit for  refs in championship matches and having them undertake mandatory fitness tests at regular intervals?

I'd say Cormac Reilly is at least ten years older than Marc Ó Sé, the oldest playgoer on view last Saturday.
I would also say the Coldrick, McQuillan and Maurice Deegan are well over the 40 mark also. None of those four, all top-tier refs, can be half as fit as the players they are trying to control and to cap it all, they probably cover more ground in the course of a game than any player.
They can't afford to take a breather now and again like players can and they must be on high alert for the entire game.
No wonder refs get dogs' abuse for all quarters!

It seems to me that rugby has far less controversy around referees. What is it that they do better ?

[AZOffaly]

I wouldn't necessarily say that seafoid. Maybe less noise about it, but there's definitely arguments about refereeing performances. Especially since a lot of rugby refereeing is 'interpretation'.

[Bensars]

What difference would two refs make ?
At the minute there is effectively three with the microphone system for the linesman.

Two referrees on the field of play ( one in each half i presume) are still subject to individual interputation of the rules, and making decisons in a split second.

[David McKeown]

At the top level the game, the sport is too fast and too professional for amateur refs. Is it time for professional refs? An additional ref may help as a ref closer to the decision might have more chance of getting it right and less chance of being conned by a cute player.

Also on the rule about 2/3/4 etc men tackles. The rule is a player(s) May tackle an opponent for the ball so there is nothing wrong with multiple defenders tackling and the offensive player should be blown for over carrying if they have over carried

[J OGorman]

At the top level the game, the sport is too fast and too professional for amateur refs. Is it time for professional refs? An additional ref may help as a ref closer to the decision might have more chance of getting it right and less chance of being conned by a cute player.

Also on the rule about 2/3/4 etc men tackles. The rule is a player(s) May tackle an opponent for the ball so there is nothing wrong with multiple defenders tackling and the offensive player should be blown for over carrying if they have over carried

on that last point Dave. Show me footage of 2/3/4 men all tackling the ball at the same time. Dont even think it is physically possible without the player in possession getting slapped, which is a foul

[magpie seanie]

Two refs wouldn't improve matters. At intercounty games t present you have a ref, two linesmen and 4 umpire - there are plenty of officials and we still get loads of balls up. The emphasis has to change. For all the errors Reilly made if you had the likes of the Duffy's doing the Mayo/Kerry game it wouldn't have been one tenth as enjoyable as it was. My feeling on this, and I'll admit it's not perfect, is that the emphasis should be on using the ball. No soft frees. Give the benefit of the doubt to the tackler. If the person in possession is not good enough to use it and gets caught up with a hard tackle then don't be looking to the ref to bail you out. Obviously I'm not advocating an Aussie Rules type tackle but like hurling, gaelic football is a better game when it is let flow and when physical contact is allowed.

The people instructing and assessing the refs are the ones I blame the most.

[Milltown Row2]

At the top level the game, the sport is too fast and too professional for amateur refs. Is it time for professional refs? An additional ref may help as a ref closer to the decision might have more chance of getting it right and less chance of being conned by a cute player.

Also on the rule about 2/3/4 etc men tackles. The rule is a player(s) May tackle an opponent for the ball so there is nothing wrong with multiple defenders tackling and the offensive player should be blown for over carrying if they have over carried

on that last point Dave. Show me footage of 2/3/4 men all tackling the ball at the same time. Dont even think it is physically possible without the player in possession getting slapped, which is a foul

Within reason, so again it's down to the referee, some games can be slapping at the ball and that's fine, but the minute you call that first foul for slapping at the ball, then every time it happens in that match you have to call it, consistency is the key word. But we don't want to lose the art of a defender stealing the ball away from an opponent who slaps/punches or hooks the ball away

[Farrandeelin]

Voted no, there wouldn't be much games if we went the two ref route (at club level anyway) and if two refs have different interpretations of the same rules things could get very messy.