Make a ref's job easier - Loyal2TheRoyal

Lots of talk about poor officiating this year but all it highlights for me is the impossible task, Gaelic Footballl referees face, when the supposed best referee in the sport gets so many big calls incorrect. As far as I am concerned, refeering a game of Gaelic Football is now beyond the capabilities of any man.

Compared to soccer who we seem to steal a lot of our rules off, the officiating standards in the two are worlds apart. But perhaps it has more to do with the simplicity of the respective rules and the task facing a ref in either code. Not only is one played on a pitch a half size smaller than the other but the authorities in charge have a clearly defined tackle outlined in soccer. The only other rules that may result in a soccer ref intervening are simple things like handballs, back passes or foul throws, which lets be fair are reasonably easy to call. Linesmen call offsides and make calls on the ball going in and out of play while fourth officials deal with timekeeping and substitutions. Workload is spread out evenly enough. Same for American Football and Rugby where there is a large emphasis on officials to spot technical fouls.

Now how easy are they when you look at what a Gaelic Football referee is up against on a pitch twice that of a soccer one. The controversial job of the umpire is carried out by an untrained clubmate of the referee who's sole responsibility is to signal scores, while linesmen who are trained just as referees have the huge responsibility of calling a line ball or not and nothing else. Everything else is left to the ref himself. The number of steps, the pick up, the square ball, the fist pass, are all dsubious decisions from a distance of more than 10 or 15 yards. And then there's the tackle, what tackle? You could pick any incident yesterday, show it to 100 referees and half would award frees while the other half would not. Nobody knows what it is. So what do the GAA do, introduce a rule to stop lineballs being taken inside the playing area. Ridiculous. Especially when there was absolutely no need for such a rule.

Plus I regularly see the quick free or the free out of defence from a yard too far up the pitch getting called back? Needless. Little or no advantage is acrued and all this serves is to help ruin the game as a spectacle. The throw-up at the start of each half is another rule I have difficultly with. More often than not, it results in a free one way or the other, so why not just start each half with a freekick?

As I elude to above though, tackle desperatley needs to be looked at. Here's my semi-proposal with tweaking where appriopiate.
1. The only time a player's hands should come into contact with that of an opposition player is when a clear attempt can be seen to be made to knock the ball out of the opposition's hands. To help, perhaps only a downward slapping action, per se, is allowed, upper motion slaps or ones in from the side should result in frees.
2. Any sort of slapping action allowed when no player is in possession.
3. As many players as a team likes should be allowed to tackle the one in opposition so long as its as per part 1.
4. A player on the ground (anywhere from the thigh to knee touching the floor) is untackle-able but they most release the ball within a second/moment (common sense applied here) before getting to their feet. This promotes high fielding where players are immediately knocked to the ground after a catch and penalised for overcarrying but also prevents players from deliberately falling to the ground. Cannot pass the ball to a player on the ground would probably need to be one obvious stipulation.
5. Where a player is seen to be holding another away from play, automatic free no matter what part of the pitch play is taking place in. This would obviously result in umpires and linesmens having greater powers and in the former's case, some sort of training.
6. Shoulder-to-shoulder to remain but to be policed more strictly.

Less strict policing should also be placed on the following:
1. Frees from incorrect position in own half
2. Quick frees in own half
3. Line balls inside the playing boundaries
4. Moving a free-kick up 10 yards, instead punish culpable player with a ticking or yellow card

No suggestion as to what to do with the balls going over or very close to over the post, except better training of umpires.

Some people will agree/disagree(JS) with my reply and pick out small instances to contradict what I have said. all I can do is explain the rule book people have there own interpretation and a lot of others firmly believe the know the rules whereas they are very surprised to find out that what they knew is not the case. Clubs should make players aware of the actual rules not the coach's rules which sometimes are very different and don't even apply to GAA.
Point in Case the sliding tackle, player slides in to win a ball and pick it up not touching the other player, this is a yellow card offence, most lads protest the won the ball an are mixing up soccer rules with GAA rules. Anyway my 2 cents worth below.

Deal with these few first
1. The only time a player's hands should come into contact with that of an opposition player is when a clear attempt can be seen to be made to knock the ball out of the opposition's hands. To help, perhaps only a downward slapping action, per se, is allowed, upper motion slaps or ones in from the side should result in frees.

Kind of there you can only play the ball with the open hand while the opponent has possession. Contrary to popular belief you aren't allowed play the man BUT it has creep in and is now accepted, try and get that out at club matches and the boys in black would be headhunted. If they can remove it at intercounty some chance.

2. Any sort of slapping action allowed when no player is in possession.

Refer to previous answer.

3. As many players as a team likes should be allowed to tackle the one in opposition so long as its as per part 1.

Again nothing to contradict this in the rulebook.

4. A player on the ground (anywhere from the thigh to knee touching the floor) is untackle-able but they most release the ball within a second/moment (common sense applied here) before getting to their feet. This promotes high fielding where players are immediately knocked to the ground after a catch and penalised for overcarrying but also prevents players from deliberately falling to the ground. Cannot pass the ball to a player on the ground would probably need to be one obvious stipulation.

The rule here is a player in possession of the ball falls to the ground he can play the ball on the ground, hence he can play the ball away (he can even score) so that is why you see players pulled up for over carrying they do have the option of playing the ball on the ground if they fall and are in possession of the ball.
As regards a player kneeling on the ground been protected I think you would see this exploited by players been coached to kneel when in scoring positions and drawing a free.

5. Where a player is seen to be holding another away from play, automatic free no matter what part of the pitch play is taking place in. This would obviously result in umpires and linesmens having greater powers and in the former's case, some sort of training.

This could/would lead to even greater stoppages and the poor old lad in the middle would get hoor's abuse about not letting the game flow. Point of note here a linesman and umpire can call this to the refs attention and during the next break in play the ref can take action. That is why sometimes you see yellow cards and are not too sure what they are for. Croke park have INSTRUCTED linesmen ans umpires only to call the ref for bookable offensives so that removes common sense where the ref could have a word in the ear with an offender.

6. Shoulder-to-shoulder to remain but to be policed more strictly.

There is only one type of shoulder-to-shoulder challenge defined and allowed


Less strict policing should also be placed on the following:
1. Frees from incorrect position in own half
A free taken 10 yards away from where the foul occurred and a goal is scored from it who will get blamed?
2. Quick frees in own half
Quick frees are allowed only quick frees not allowed
a) player been cautioned/booked
b) 13 metre free (football), 20 metre (hurling) obvious reasons
c) a penalty
3. Line balls inside the playing boundaries
Sorry like this rule as it stops players kicking the ball whilst up to 5/8 yards on the pitch. Last minute of a county final a draw game, line ball to one, time just up, player comes in off the line and kicks it just over the bar, again who gets clobbered the defender for kicking it out or the ref.
4. Moving a free-kick up 10 yards, instead punish culpable player with a ticking or yellow card

A free can only be moved once (13 metres is the distance not 10 yards -soccer), if opposition persist then yellow card/red card can be issued. Please note a point alluded to here regarding the Meath county final no dead balls can be moved forward, (goal kick, 45, 65) and in these instance the offender should be carded.

No suggestion as to what to do with the balls going over or very close to over the post,
A ball that goes over the post is a WIDE ball not a score.

I am toying with the idea of becoming a successful intercounty ref. Good (tax-free) money in it!

Jayo Cluxton wrote:I am toying with the idea of becoming a successful intercounty ref. Good (tax-free) money in it!

don't tell everyone!!!!!!!!!!!! especially with a budget coming up

JimWexford wrote:

Jayo Cluxton wrote:I am toying with the idea of becoming a successful intercounty ref. Good (tax-free) money in it!

don't tell everyone!!!!!!!!!!!! especially with a budget coming up

Have applied for a course - apparently it takes 2 hours. Didn't think it'd take so long tbh ...

Thats about right two hours a night over 4 weeks.
If your going to do it best of luck, I like it, trust me me you get the good(aka Boxty) with the bad (aka JS) but its worth it.

Is there a medical required? If so I'm fooked - though I might give them Boxty's records instead of mine ........... no! wait ....

Jayo Cluxton wrote:Is there a medical required? If so I'm fooked - though I might give them Boxty's records instead of mine ........... no! wait ....

if you can walk and are still breathing and under the age of 150 you may just pass

JimWexford wrote:if you can walk and are still breathing and under the age of 150 you may just pass

I have two of these - the walking is the problem .....

Jayo Cluxton wrote:

JimWexford wrote:if you can walk and are still breathing and under the age of 150 you may just pass

I have two of these - the walking is the problem .....

As Meatloaf said " 2 out of 3 ain't bad" congrats Mr Cluxton you can hang up the gloves and start panting into the whistle.
We'll start you off with the hectic Craggy Island 7's competition for the over 80's. you may just about keep up with the play.

Ive come easily to the conclusion that the way rules are enforced in different regions is completely different .....here in Wexford we tend to blow a free for a light tap on the back but in munster club games on tg4 these days a free wouldn't be blown if ye were down on the ground and. Yer being suffocated by yer marker

gaamad1996 wrote:Ive come easily to the conclusion that the way rules are enforced in different regions is completely different .....here in Wexford we tend to blow a free for a light tap on the back but in munster club games on tg4 these days a free wouldn't be blown if ye were down on the ground and. Yer being suffocated by yer marker

That's what has ye' where ye' are....There shouldn't be a free unless there's blood might be a suggestion.

Sure that's what I say boxty

very sad to hear of the death of a ref during a hurling game tonight in County Derry. It happened during the quarter final of the senior championship between Kevin Lynch's, Dungiven, and St Colm's, Ballinascreen. The ref who is believed to have been in his 50s was treated at the scene before being taken to hospital sadly he died. RIP to his family and friends.

This is the second incident in a week, only last week a defibrillator was used to resuscitate GAA referee Gabriel Tumelty after he collapsed on the pitch during a match between Burren and Longstone in Newry. Thankfully he survived, and only last month a 17 year old was resuscitated during a soccer match.