Tyrone vs Mayo AISF Semi-Final - August 25th

[ONeill]

How can we work this lad?

GAA.ie spoke to Maurice Deegan today about the new rules that were recently adopted in Gaelic Football. Deegan, from Stradbally in Co. Laois, is considered to be one of the best inter-county referees, and took charge of the 2012 All-Ireland football final between Mayo and Donegal. 

GAA.ie: Lots of new rules were adopted at the recent GAA Congress in Derry. Do referees see rule changes as an inconvenience or as a positive move for the game?

Maurice Deegan: I think it's very positive for the game. As you know everyone is talking about the five famous black card rules that are coming in, but people just want to get on and play football at the end of the day and the only way to do that is to try and clean up the game. The only way to do that is to take out all this deliberate fouling that has crept into the game over the last year or two. Penalising a guy for pulling down a player is a no-brainer. If a player deliberately pulls another guy down it's an automatic black card. It's the same with remonstrating with a referee or match official. They are very simple rules.
I know there could be a problem from a player's point of view. They are wary that referees might have different interpretations of a black card, but the word I would like to stress is 'deliberate'. Deliberate is an important word here because two fellas can go for a ball and one player can collide with the other and fall down accidentally. If he takes him out accidentally then it's a different scenario altogether.

GAA.ie: Do you feel that the rules as they stood failed to deal with some of the deliberate fouling that will now lead to a black card?

MD: I felt that some of the penalties weren't strong enough which is why they had to bring in two or three of the black card ones. Things like the deliberate pull-down had crept into the game a lot and it was important to try and get rid of that. Hopefully the new rules will allow us to do that now.

GAA.ie: Are you satisfied that the various new rules are clear-cut and will be easily implemented by referees?

MD: From a referee's point of view they are very easy. As regards the black card, I have no issues at all. I think the time thing (public clock) will take an awful lot of pressure off players, referees and spectators. Everyone knows where they stand. You won't have this thing that is sometimes said off the record, 'he played for a draw'. What you have now is very clear-cut and you can see exactly what is happening.

GAA.ie: Does removing the responsibility for timing games from referees by introducing a public clock relieve referees of a lot of pressure?

MD: I think it has to. It's so simple now with the public clock. It works well in other sports and I'd be in favour of anything that helps referees do their job.

GAA.ie: Was there any other rule you would like to have seen brought in, and were you disappointed to see some of the new rules failed to get the necessary support at Congress?

MD: I would like to have seen the 30-metre advantage rule brought in. It's another thing that is creeping into the game – players moving the ball forward. They're moving the ball forward all the time. The punishment as it stands of moving the ball forward 13 metres is of no consequence. If you move a ball forward 30 metres you are killing a team straight away. It's 50 metres in the AFL and it works well.
Really and truly it's about getting players' mindset right. If they see the ball is going to be moved forward 30 metres they will think twice about standing in front of a free-taker to slow up the game. We want to keep the game flowing and sell it all over the world as much as we can. The only way we can do that is to bring in rules like this. However, you can't get them all in.

GAA.ie: Would you envisage any issues for referees implementing the black card rule in club games and at lower levels of the game?

MD: I work with young referees in Laois. That's the age you have to introduce the new rules to referees. I can see the argument that is out there that club referees might be more lenient, but a lot depends on how county administrators push it. These are all volunteers out there pushing it and trying to sell the game as much as they can so that it's a good spectacle for everyone around the country. Whether it's in Skibbereen, Stradbally or Omagh, if all the club referees are singing off the same hymn sheet it should be fine.
Club referees look up to inter-county referees who are on the telly every week, and if he is being seen to follow through on all these rules then it will filter down. But you have to start with the very young referees as well, and you have to give them the initiative by encouraging them to do what we need them to do.

GAA.ie: Is it important now that all referees are properly educated on the new rules ahead of the implementation of the majority of them on January 1, 2014?

MD: As inter-county referees, we do fitness tests and have meetings every month. The onus will be on the county administrators who look after referees and the provinces to push the process forward. They will go through all the rules that are coming in so that everyone is singing off the same hymn sheet. At the end of the day, all we all want is consistency. We have a long period to adjust ourselves both at club and at inter-county level.

[ONeill]

Sides have fairly changed since that 2008 meeting.

Tyrone: J Devine; R McMenamin (0-01), J McMahon, C Gourley; D Harte (0-01), C Gormley, P Jordan; R Mellon, E McGinley (0-01); B Dooher (0-01), B McGuigan, T McGuigan (0-02, 0-02f); J McMahon, S Cavanagh (0-04, 0-01f), C McCullagh (0-02, 0-01f).

Subs used: C Holmes for Mellon, M Penrose (0-01) for B McGuigan (both 48 mins), D Carlin for Harte (54), O Mulligan for T McGuigan (68), D McCaul for McMenamin (70+4).

Mayo: D Clarke; K Higgins, T Cunniffe, T Howley; P Gardiner, J Nallen, A Higgins; D Heaney, T Parsons; A Moran, P Harte, BJ Padden (0-02); C Mortimer (1-04, 0-03f), A Dillon (0-03, 0-03f), A Kilcoyne.

Subs used: T Mortimer for Harte (half-time), A Campbell for Kilcoyne (56 mins), P Kelly for Howley (62), R McGarrity for Moran (63).

[red hander]

Anybody heard anything about Conor Gormley being banned?

[Syferus]

Anybody heard anything about Conor Gormley being banned?

Is he being given the elbow?





...ice burn 

[Lar Naparka]

For me, the major worry is that Mayo won't play as well again. (I know Lar and the whole lot of you will say it's Farr's pessimism etc.) But I can't see them playing as well against Tyrone as they did the last day. Maybe I'm too caught up on previous teams etc, but to be entering a semi final as odds on favourites when the opposition is managed by Mickey Harte I can only hope the Mayo players remain grounded. If they do, we stand a great chance. If not, and it's level with 5 to go, then it's squeaky bum time.

Ah, c'mon Farr, don't be like that! 
For me, the main worry is that you'll have a breakdown right here on the board. The first proven case of cyber psychosis will be diagnosed and you'll wind up in that school for the bewildered that rosnarun is talking about.

Jeez, you and Barney would be well matched!

We're entering this game as odds on favourites because we deserve to be odds on favourites and there's nothing you or I can do about it.
It Karma, my young friend so take it in your stride.
(Okay, I'll hum a different tune if we manage to lose the effin' match but for the moment there's no point worrying about that slim possibility.)

NB
I'm a wee bit afraid that you're taking the crossfire here a bit too much to heart. Them Tyrone buckos are giving as good as they're getting and it's hard to know who is winding who up at the moment.
But the craic is ninety and that's how it should be.

[TY14ED]

Conor hit with 1 month ban for his, 'get out of my face Dessie', strike last day out.

[SuperHo]

one of the tyrone fellas was sayin on sunday that gormley had heard nothin.

[ONeill]

Logie and now Colm Cavanagh complaining about the lack of visible support in the county regarding flags/colour.

[clarshack]

it says on teamtalkmag.com that he is suspended for mayo game.

[BennyHarp]

it says on teamtalkmag.com that he is suspended for mayo game.

That's a major blow! I'd imagine Mickey is on the phone to Fergal Logan as we speak!

[Tubberman]

it says on teamtalkmag.com that he is suspended for mayo game.

The siege mentality will not need any further reinforcing.

[ONeill]

Flip. He has been consistent at vital times this year.

Bollocks to that.

[bucko]

it says on teamtalkmag.com that he is suspended for mayo game.

The siege mentality will not need any further reinforcing.

+1. But Gormley's box was way more blatant than Penrose's, in the sight line of an official and caught on TV. He would've been extremely lucky not to have been hit with some punishment.

[EC Unique]

They took their time on that one. Get Tyrone stopped at all costs I doubt.

[Redhand Santa]

I'm absolutely disgusted by that decision. The lack of consistency and bias by the CCC is again summed up by this decision. To watch it again in real time and call it a punch is pushing it in the extreme. He pushed his hand away with force. The big issue here is that counties aren't being treated equally. There have been numerous other incidents caught on camera throughout the championship that have been ignored. Why is this? What is the CCC guidance for using video evidence? They've yet to answer some pretty basic questions about when they use it and how they review games. To me it seems completely random. Paul Galvin was caught on camera punching earlier in the season. It was ignored. Why was he different to Gormley?

People can accuse Tyrone of many things but we do seem to be treated differently to everyone else when it come's to these issues. I'd love to have the statistics for the use of video evidence since 2003. Because we seem to be heavily penalised by it. All counties have to be treated the same for it to be fair. A few years ago McMenamin got the most random ban of 6 weeks for example that was never given to anyone else before just to make sure he missed more games.

I hope Tyrone appeal this and take it as far as they can. I'd love them to produce a video of other incidents and play it to the CCC along with Gormleys and ask them to explain what was different. I can see a highly motivated Tyrone team taking to the pitch next week. I hope they can shove this decision write back in the ccc's faces.