All-Ireland Club Football Final - Crossmaglen v Garrycastle

[saffron sam2]

Well i guess the fact that you saw snippets doesn't put you in a position to make a comment on his performance.

I think anyone on here will tell you its wasn't his best day at the office!

Yes, the snippets were the entire first half and a goodly part of the second.

Carried them from the snippets I saw.

[Oak Leafer]

I'd hardly classify that as seeing snippets!

[orangeman]

Jamie caused mayhem every time he got on the ball.

Cross seemed too complacent from the outset and took until the 2nd half to get going.

They'll not be as complacent next time out.

Fair play to GC who could have won the game even if the 2nd half wa a kicking in match.

Ref was shocking for both sides.

[Captain Obvious]

Great game. Ref was poor a good ref is one you don't notice. Garrycastle in their first ever All Ireland final didn't allow the occasion get to them and Crossmaglen now know they have to work harder than first thought to win this All Ireland.

[T Toatler]

Although Hickey can't ref the replay, who will?  Quality of ref's is pretty pathetic at the moment, one is just as bad as the next. Cross should have got 2 or 3 frees at the end but instead were awarded frees when there was no foul.  I will never understand what goes through some ref's heads!

Fair result in the end, should be another cracker

Has to be Munster or Connacht ref really though they might opt out of that and go for Deegan or Coldrick maybe. If Munster that puts Collins in the mix and if Connacht the two Duffys, but they did it before so who knows. Yes Hickey was at best muddled and at worst terrible. Great excitement and great game, Westmeath could have done without the replay more than Armagh

[Gold]

Glad G'Castle held on for the draw but in the last 15mins they just hung on--they were out on their feet.

You'll never see Jamie miss as many goal chances again. I think Cross will win easily in the replay

Ref was awful--should have played a further 30seconds at least.

Hanratty is as cynical a player as i've seen. Did the same v St Galls--but prevented a possible winning score so job done.

Jamie was pure danger every time he got the ball--different class.

Good game though. Hope Garrycastle given Cross a game in the Replay but just feel Cross have too many scoring options to lose.

Dolan started brilliantly and got scores/frees out of limited ball in 2nd half--needs more help though. They stopped dead towards the end.

Would put the house on Cross in the replay

Gutted fro Garrycastle

[machaman]

To be quite honest I am absolutely disgusted at the state of referring in today's game. From start to finish he displayed the standard I expect of an inexperienced and untried ref. this is not a pro cross stance or a pro GC stance. He was utterly terrible. Our games are coming under serious strain with such displays. Fans get frustrated. Players do not know what the hell is going on. I really feel that the gaa need to step up to the mark and stop this nonsense. Too often they back refs who have no idea in order to protect them. They are a dying breed after all - who'd do it??. We need to look at this though. Do we need train our refs properly? Punish them if they are terrible; have two refs to cope with the pace and physicality of our games? I am sorry but what went today nearly spoilt a cracking game . Well played to both teams. Unlucky to the two lads who got sent off.  paul kernan seemed to be the victim of 'balancing' so innocuous. Neither lad deserved red.

But what about number 10 for gc? How insane was he to headbut in front of the ref? How shocking was the ref not to send him off? What was the yellow for? Attempting to strike with the head is a straight red? What if any explanation can be given for the ref's yellow? Cop out? That eejit should not see any championship games this year. Stop him from spoiling a summer for any county team please. A disgrace! Might seem harsh but i have had my fill of some poor refs. Listen to the RTE commentary for the between the lines querying if his performance. 

Replay seems somewhat fair as neither team deserved to lose.

[Leo]

Just back from Croker and have to say I watched a totally different game than earlier posters.
Gaelic football is a badly regulated field sport that depends more on the honesty of players (almost universally absent) than any similar sport, so the job of referee is near impossible.
In that context a referee who tries to assert early control and then allows the game to flow as much as possible is as likley to maske a positive contribution to the game as any cynical coach or "purist" sideline pundit, therefore I thought the ref did OK.
It was an entertaining up-and-down game. Cross played a bit flat but their expereience showed through at the end when GC should really have naliled it. Their 14 was immense but so was Aaron Kernan. Draw a fair result but Cross will have learned enough to come through in the replay. Overall  quite sporting and a good advert for football.

[Syferus]

The Cross player was going head to head with the Garrycastle player and he saw the ref and decided he was a Olympic diver rather than a gaelic footballer. Look at it again; the Garrycastle player's head went forward when the Cross player started going down, it was simply the pressure he was applying to be pushing against the Cross player's forehead. There was no malicious intent beyond that. In motion it looked horrible but in reality the Cross player was trying to draw the red card.

Whatever the letter of the law, the referee made the right choice in just giving the Garrycastle player a yellow. It showed the one trait most referees lack: common sense.

[BennyCake]

oh by the way, Kingspan Breffni Park for the replay???

Has to be Croker, as a curtain-raiser to Dublin League Game v Donegal on Saturday March 24th!

That one is already a double header with the Dublin hurlers. Can't see 3 games played that day. I'd say it'll be in Breffni or Clones.

[machaman]

You see this is part of the problem we face. Condoning actions such as head butting. As the poster rightly puts it the ref made a decision ... The rules do not support that sort of behaviour by players ir refs. The fact is that part of the serious problem we face is the lack of proper application of the rules for events such as this. I agree that it would/could have spoilt the game that early on but where does this pup get off throwing the head, connection or no. I cannot and will not condone any play acting, another blight on our games in recent years. But serious foul play such as that is not condoned in any sport to my kind, boxing, mma , soccer, darts, tiddlywinks or gaa sports. As someone who suffered such in incident I know the effects. can anyone explain how the ref came to a yellow card? I really feel that this is a disgusting situation that the ref has condoned!!

I feel really strongly that this ref was a shocking disgrace. I think he shows a serious problem in our games. I admire anyone who takes on this role but after playing for nearly 27 years and now at the end of my career I am firmly if the view that "give respect get respect" starts with proper communication and application of the rules.

I really look forward to another battle of two great teams fully loaded with players that will pit themselves at each other in a fair but hard way, extolling the virtues and skills of our games to the highest level. May the best team win (and their counties soon see the benefits of having their players back) but lets hope none of us are talking about any pathetic referees like we saw today.

Ps there was also an incident in the hurling where loughgeil got a point that was clearly very wide. We were right behind it and I am glad it didn't have a bearing on the game's outcome, but how long do we need to go on facing poor officiating before we use cheap and simple technology that does not interfere with our games?

Ref'ing madness. No championship games I hope for that fool.

[Throw ball]

Cannot see how anyone can defend the GC player on the headbutt. To suggest that his head only went forward when the Cross player was going down he ridiculous - does he not have the ability to control what he does with his own head? You are unlikely to see a more blatant sending off for the rest of the year. The Cross player could have seen yellow for his part in it too. For me the referee thought the Garycastle player was the more guilty and gave him a yellow and the Cross player nothing as he did not want to send a player off so early in the match.

[The Worker]

When will details of the replay be announced?

[everymanaman]

The Cross player was going head to head with the Garrycastle player and he saw the ref and decided he was a Olympic diver rather than a gaelic footballer. Look at it again; the Garrycastle player's head went forward when the Cross player started going down, it was simply the pressure he was applying to be pushing against the Cross player's forehead. There was no malicious intent beyond that. In motion it looked horrible but in reality the Cross player was trying to draw the red card.

Whatever the letter of the law, the referee made the right choice in just giving the Garrycastle player a yellow. It showed the one trait most referees lack: common sense.

Sadly-there is no common sense in the rule book

[Milltown Row2]

Is it in Parnell park this Saturday?