All-Ireland Club Football Final - Crossmaglen v Garrycastle

[Onlooker]

A great game of football and a great advert for club football. I thought the ref probably should have awarded Cross a couple of frees at the end  but otherwise added to the occasion by letting the game flow. On the negative side, a shocking piece of play acting by the Cross player to try and get the GC player sent off. The GC player was crazy though and a different ref might have bought it.

you cant defend what the gc player done, should have seen red, there was thousands of kids watching ffs, I'm sure the ref is embarrassed today at his display in that final

It is early in the year, but I have seen a selection of terrible referees both live and on TV.  IMO we have a refereeing crisis and part of the reason is that the powers in Croke Park refuse to see a problem with any ref. and at times it appears that the worse the referee is the more likely he is to be promoted to bigger games.   The guideline at HQ appears to be that the more yellow cards are given out the better the referee is doing his job.  Until Duffy, Cooney & Co. realise that we have a major problem with referees things can only get worse.  As for any referee being embarrassed by his performance, that is most unlikely.  Too many refs are on ego trips.

[JHume]

Stephen Kernan was greviously wronged, and here's hoping he and his teammates get to put that right in the replay.

The contrast with the clamour to get Diarmuid Connolly's red card in last year's All Ireland semi final couldn't have been greater.

But the fundamental problem lies with the power invested in referees' reports - they're considered as infallible. And even someone like Stephen Kernan, who by any objective view wasn't guilty of a red card offence, is then left in the almost impossible position of having to provide compelling evidence overturning the ref's report which says it was.

There's a refereeing, and discplinary crisis all right but Croke Park is disinterested in tackling it. Having elevated referees reports to infallibile status, they are too afraid of reversing that and allowing commonsense to apply.

[Main Street]

A great game of football and a great advert for club football. I thought the ref probably should have awarded Cross a couple of frees at the end  but otherwise added to the occasion by letting the game flow. On the negative side, a shocking piece of play acting by the Cross player to try and get the GC player sent off. The GC player was crazy though and a different ref might have bought it.

you cant defend what the gc player done, should have seen red, there was thousands of kids watching ffs, I'm sure the ref is embarrassed today at his display in that final

I would concur with what Gazza M wrote. I only watched the highlights so I have no opinion on the ref's overall performance but in the instance of the 'head but', the ref dealt with it very sensibly. Also I thought Cross had a fair shout for a penalty in that last goalmouth scramble when Clarke hit the post, the ball was surely handled on the ground by a Garrycastle defender. The sight of an umpire staring blankly at what transpires around the goalmouth is truly bizarre.

I find it natural to want a contest in a club final and naturally wanted Cross to have a rally, but was equally pleased that Garrycastle survived.

[Armamike]

On the basis of chances created and missed, I'd fancy Cross for the replay. They carved open Garrycastle for 4 or 5 goal opportunities and hit 4 wides at the end. On any other day they'd have taken a few of those chances and i'd expect them to be more clinical the next day. They also know now, if they didn't previously, that they're going to have to scrap and fight for every ball to beat this team.

[border rabbit]

 Im dumb-founded how some people think that the headbutt wasnt a red card offence!! Are we now saying that we can allow this sort of thing go on, every person to a man and woman at the match beside me thought it was straight red, and even more so when the highlights were shown at halftime! No-one can explain why he gave the G'castle player a yellow card! While within a few minutes of this he was flashing yellow cards for jersey pulls etc. And that is where the inconsistency lies. (and dont start me on the refs display at the Laois game on Sunday, OMG!?!?) How can you coach young people when the refs dont know the rules!

Anyway this was only 1 incident in the whole game, that the ref made a complete mess off! He was extremely harsh on Cross and a ref that applies (as someone else called it) "common sense" Cross would has alot more scorable frees and G'Castle would have had a few less!

Anyway i cant see Cross or Tony Mc whinging about it, thats not their style, they'll go away and come back stronger for it! And heres hoping Stephen Kernan can lift the cup!

[Milltown Row2]

A headbutt in my opinion is when a head knocks someone on the head, this was a head rub, anyone think differently is still drunk. As for the Cross player throwing himself to the ground with this head rub, I'd say he was guilty of trying to get someone sent off.

Plenty of referees on this board? I'd say there are about 5 maybe 6 actual referees and without the aid of google would struggle with many of the rules, not just the basic rules but the noting, infractions and the cautions. Referee did his best with players throwing themselves to the ground and others fouling constantly it would have made the game into a farce. If the players would play the game fairly then we would not be discussing the referee FFS!!

[armaghniac]

The problem here is that Cross' were without their captain because he made the strike and so gets the card notwithstanding the context or the opponent making a meal of it. SK might have made a difference and got the marginal point. But the Garrycastle player was not subject to the same principle of automatic red card, had he been Cross would surely have benefited from that too. The net outcome of the two incidents is unequal.

However, I expect SK will get to lift the cup. Cross played poorly for a long while in the first half on Saturday and they probably won't do so a second time, especially as it is clear that GC are formidable opponents.

[fitzroyalty]

Ref should have sent no10 off and booked McKeown for diving.

How many times are players sent off for striking, and how often are they actual proper punches? Most of the time they are half hearted heat of the moment type actions but still are deserving of a red. Same for this 'head rub' no matter how soft it was.

Paul Kernan's sending off was boderline ridiculous. Never a second yellow if anything a free out.

[Armamike]

The thing that frustrates is lack of consistency within the one game and from game to game. Stephen Kernan got a straight red and missed the biggest game of his life and chance to lead out the team as captain, because the ref and the authorities think he might have done something, on the law of averages- they couldn't say definitively if he did.  GC player puts the head into a Cross player right in front of the ref, call it head butt, head rub,head massage, glasgow kiss whatever, he wasn't exactly exchanging pleasantries.

[Celt_Man]

Ref should have sent no10 off and booked McKeown for diving.

I agree!

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

Im dumb-founded how some people think that the headbutt wasnt a red card offence!! Are we now saying that we can allow this sort of thing go on, every person to a man and woman at the match beside me thought it was straight red, and even more so when the highlights were shown at halftime! No-one can explain why he gave the G'castle player a yellow card! While within a few minutes of this he was flashing yellow cards for jersey pulls etc. And that is where the inconsistency lies. (and dont start me on the refs display at the Laois game on Sunday, OMG!?!?) How can you coach young people when the refs dont know the rules!

Anyway this was only 1 incident in the whole game, that the ref made a complete mess off! He was extremely harsh on Cross and a ref that applies (as someone else called it) "common sense" Cross would has alot more scorable frees and G'Castle would have had a few less!

Anyway i cant see Cross or Tony Mc whinging about it, thats not their style, they'll go away and come back stronger for it! And heres hoping Stephen Kernan can lift the cup!

I think most fair minded observers would accept that on a technical definition of the rules, a red card was merited but given that the Crossmaglen man threw himself to the ground in an attempt to get the player sent off, I don't think that there was any real injustice meted out.

[Jinxy]

A headbutt in my opinion is when a head knocks someone on the head, this was a head rub, anyone think differently is still drunk. As for the Cross player throwing himself to the ground with this head rub, I'd say he was guilty of trying to get someone sent off.

Plenty of referees on this board? I'd say there are about 5 maybe 6 actual referees and without the aid of google would struggle with many of the rules, not just the basic rules but the noting, infractions and the cautions. Referee did his best with players throwing themselves to the ground and others fouling constantly it would have made the game into a farce. If the players would play the game fairly then we would not be discussing the referee FFS!!

Lord above, I've heard it all now.
Maybe the Garrycastle no. 10 is half eskimo and he was only trying to say hello.

[Armamike]

A headbutt in my opinion is when a head knocks someone on the head, this was a head rub, anyone think differently is still drunk. As for the Cross player throwing himself to the ground with this head rub, I'd say he was guilty of trying to get someone sent off.

Plenty of referees on this board? I'd say there are about 5 maybe 6 actual referees and without the aid of google would struggle with many of the rules, not just the basic rules but the noting, infractions and the cautions. Referee did his best with players throwing themselves to the ground and others fouling constantly it would have made the game into a farce. If the players would play the game fairly then we would not be discussing the referee FFS!!

Lord above, I've heard it all now.
Maybe the Garrycastle no. 10 is half eskimo and he was only trying to say hello.

Yes, probably a form of endearment in some cultures so we should give him the benefit of the doubt on this one.

[T Toatler]

A great game of football and a great advert for club football. I thought the ref probably should have awarded Cross a couple of frees at the end  but otherwise added to the occasion by letting the game flow. On the negative side, a shocking piece of play acting by the Cross player to try and get the GC player sent off. The GC player was crazy though and a different ref might have bought it.

you cant defend what the gc player done, should have seen red, there was thousands of kids watching ffs, I'm sure the ref is embarrassed today at his display in that final

I would concur with what Gazza M wrote. I only watched the highlights so I have no opinion on the ref's overall performance but in the instance of the 'head but', the ref dealt with it very sensibly. Also I thought Cross had a fair shout for a penalty in that last goalmouth scramble when Clarke hit the post, the ball was surely handled on the ground by a Garrycastle defender. The sight of an umpire staring blankly at what transpires around the goalmouth is truly bizarre.

I find it natural to want a contest in a club final and naturally wanted Cross to have a rally, but was equally pleased that Garrycastle survived.

But the umpire has no function in "calling" technical fouls such as handling the ball on the ground.

[T Toatler]

A great game of football and a great advert for club football. I thought the ref probably should have awarded Cross a couple of frees at the end  but otherwise added to the occasion by letting the game flow. On the negative side, a shocking piece of play acting by the Cross player to try and get the GC player sent off. The GC player was crazy though and a different ref might have bought it.

you cant defend what the gc player done, should have seen red, there was thousands of kids watching ffs, I'm sure the ref is embarrassed today at his display in that final

It is early in the year, but I have seen a selection of terrible referees both live and on TV.  IMO we have a refereeing crisis and part of the reason is that the powers in Croke Park refuse to see a problem with any ref. and at times it appears that the worse the referee is the more likely he is to be promoted to bigger games.   The guideline at HQ appears to be that the more yellow cards are given out the better the referee is doing his job.  Until Duffy, Cooney & Co. realise that we have a major problem with referees things can only get worse.  As for any referee being embarrassed by his performance, that is most unlikely.  Too many refs are on ego trips.

Whilst I agree that at best the ref was muddled in his interpretation there are two issues to consider.
1. same refs, good ones, cant do all the games. If it was Pat Mc there wouldnt be half the outcry.
2. There is general ignorance of the playing rules.

I cant see Croker telling refs to card everything. In such a scenario there would be many 12 a side or less games, There will always be a couple in every game such as the last "tackle" on saturday. Refs are not inherently bad by nature. Every ref will interpret differently in most instances.