What should be done about the Leinster Final Fiasco?

[put-it-up]

If Louth had have won the game in similar circumstances - nowhere near as big a fuss would have been created.

[Louth Exile]

If Louth had have won the game in similar circumstances - nowhere near as big a fuss would have been created.

I disagree

[From the Bunker]

The dust has settled for me on this topic. NO Replay. It's tough on Louth. But where does one stop if we go down this road? Dodgy wides, dodgy sending offs, dodgy time keeing, dodgy penalties, dodgy frees, dodgy non sending offs. it's a can of worms waiting to be opened.

Lessons have to be learned from this.

Greater support for referees in having

1 - linesmen and umpires that are qualified referees.
2 - timekeeping to be taken out of the referees hands.
3 - linesmen and umpires to be more involved in helping sort out incidents.

[kerrylions]

hi rionach4.there was a dispute about the goal,he fell in over the line.im a ref myself and iv never seen such a sham as i did yesterday the problem here is the gaa we have people doing jobs ie reffing ,handing out suspensions,basically not knowing what they are doing its just who they are.ive been to matches and seen couples there,she reading a book and he fast asleep and they have the best seats just because of who they are or who they know and the genuine supporter who supports his local club team ond does voluntarly bits for the club are priced out of going to the big games and whos to blame the gaa higharchy

[thewobbler]

kerrylions, that is perhaps the most unintelligible mess ever written on GAABoard. Quite some accolade. Don't they teach English where you are from?

[pkerin]

So if Meath lost like Louth lost to a team like Dublin. No big deal. Is that what your saying. If Meath lost like Louth lost say to Kerry. No big deal.  If Meath lost like Louth lost to Tyrone no big deal......    Your fooling yourself. What happened yesterday is bigger than both Louth and Meath. It has caught the attention of the whole country and a lot of Irishmen all over the planet. It has brought up some important questions that the GAA must consider. Maybe umpires at intercounty level should have more say in the game and be qualified to be there. They should not be there just to wave bloody flags. I understand at club level it is different. No one wants the job on a cold wet night. But this was a Lenister Final with the Irish President there to watch what turned out to be a farce. How embarrassing. And the crowd controll.... Please. Enough of people running out on the field. If you run out on the field your tresspassing and you will be prosecuted. Simple. End of story. That has to stop. Period.

[seafoid]

The GAA needs to forfeit these rows in Croker for finals till we get the message & stay off the pitch...

One simple rule, if fans enter the playing area, then any cup presentation gets immediately abandoned. The cup gets whisked away and handed to the winning captain in the dressing room.The penny will eventually drop if this is actually done. If we keep pandering to yahoo-ism, invasions won't stop.

The scheme would definitely work in Surrey.After you're done keeping the punters off the pitch try the next logical step, a property tax and after that bin charges and then how about improving the standards of driving in Ireland.  Pitch invasions are all about defying authority and insurance and if the Gael is corralled sure how can he function properly ?  You might as well try and get rid of the round system. The next thing you'll be expecting pissed farmers to put their supermacs waste in the litter bin.     

[pkerin]

Any word on the "big meeting in Meath" Anyone hear anything?

[kerrylions]

wobbles try and open youre little mind and smell the roses.where have you been for the past 20 years.if you have problems understanding whats going on just say so and i can simplify it for you

[muppet]

24 hours later and I'm still not happy. The Gaa have washed their hands of it by saying they can't order a replay. People are looking at the Meath County Board to do the right thing (I hope they do) but why should it be up to them? They have done nothing wrong here. Those who talk of entering dangerous territory don't seem to notice that we already entered very dangerous territory yesterday. I'm glad Hardy posted that the Steward is ok.

This might seem a ridiculous thing to say, especially after yesterday's heroic performance by Sludden, but the elephant in the room is the lack of respect afforded to referees. Before yesterday's game I was watching the other games and was annoyed at the incredibly stupid attempts at tackles by so called inter-county players. I started discussing it with my brother watching the Dublin/Tipp game and I said something like 'watch how defenders go in for tackles'. The next tackle was on a Dublin forward who was caught by the head, by both hands, by a Tipp defender who threw the Dublin player onto the ground. He was livid with the ref when a free was awarded against him. We just laughed at the ridiculousness of it.

What chance do referees have? They are presented with a rulebook that is practically indecipherable, a tackle that is hopelessly defined and interpreted differently by everyone and they are then pulled asunder by TV analysis, by angry players and apoplectic managers. How many times do you hear that both sides were unhappy with the ref? The TV analysis veers towards highlighting referees mistakes rather than the sheer stupidity of some of the players attempted tackles. Many players spend large parts of the game protesting every decision, some disingenuously, others in utter frustration at the interpretation of the referee.

We need to take a few leaves out of rugby's book and start with a very strictly enforced rule that only the captain may question a decision. I believe if Sludden had gone to the two umpires for a conference we would have had up to 30 players shouting in his ears and might have ended up with a melee no matter what he decided (not suggesting Meath/Louth players are any different to any other county).

Regarding yesterday's game the Gaa need to be seen to do the right thing but overall they need to seriously sort out the referees and give them something they can work with.

[thewobbler]

kerrylions, open my mind to what? In that spiel you have more grammatical errors and spelling mistakes than actual words. That's a tremendous accomplishment. But it does mean that I can't understand you, or the point you are trying to put across.

[BennyHarp]

As a neutral i'm not really going to comment too much on the incident itself as i didnt see it either live or on TV - only what i've managed to glean from You Tube. But one comment i would make is that its grossly unfair for the GAA to step back and push the ball into the Meath county boards court to make a decision. They should be coming out with clear leadership on this issue one way or another long before the meeting tonight of the meath county board.

[pkerin]

I had no idea I was been graded here. Thought we were talking GAA. Lets get back on the topic you too.
Ups. at inter county level should be refs. right??? I think so

[thewobbler]

I agree with a lot of what you're saying there Muppet. The influence of soccer on how we treat our referees is disgraceful. Conning referees is applauded by your teammates, managers and supporters, and not taking an opportunity to con a referee is often looked upon with disdain by the same folk. It's a disgrace.

But the referees are still a major part of the problem. Too many of them - like Sludden - make things difficult for themselves by refusing to think about decisions before making them. It's a case of blow the whistle then make the decision rather than the other way around. If a foul is a foul it doesn't matter if it takes you 3 seconds to a blow the whistle, as play restarts from the same play either way. But allowing the play to flow for those 3 seconds, then playing on as you decide it wasn't a foul, can make the game such a better spectacle.

[Louth Exile]

The RTE news just should cameras inside the meeting room where the Meath County board are sitting, I don't know if that is a good or bad thing for the chances of a replay, I'm going to go with good!!