GAELIC GAMES:THE BEST GAA stories tend to be family affairs. And the one about Wexford referee Syl Doyle using his brother Richard and son Ricky as umpires down the Hill 16 end in Sunday's Leinster quarter-final between Meath and Kildare seemed to represent all that is uniquely good about Gaelic games.
If the square ball law were more transparent, the general GAA family would be unaware of Team Doyle’s activities.
Yesterday, however, as the fall-out from Graham Geraghty’s disallowed goal in the 64th-minute, which denied Meath a chance to make it a one-point game, continued, the GAA president, Christy Cooney, waded into the debate. Cooney was actually attempting to dampen interest in the issue by stating it was a case of the media unnecessarily stoking the flames of controversy.
“I believe it is a certain amount of cynicism. I think it is unfair on Syl and his umpires and unfair on his family. His son has been umpiring with him for quite a while now. It is not an issue as far as I’m concerned. And it shouldn’t be made an issue either.”
He also contested the suggestion officiating decisions are affecting the association’s credibility. “All our umpires have been trained. They have all been certified in competency within the rules,” Cooney said, in reference to a new testing procedure overseen by referees chairman Mick Curley. This comprises a “rigorous weekend” whereby umpires must pass a series of exams.
“They understand their role completely and, no, I have full confidence. They’ll make the odd call. I’m not too sure that they made the wrong call last Sunday. I haven’t studied it in slow motion in any great detail. I just saw the highlights that the rest of you would have seen on TV.
“I’ve said this before – you will get (incidents) in matches, whether that is a square ball or a foul or whatever, and the referees have to make a decision. The referee and umpires made a decision last Sunday and I fully trust and support their judgment.
“Their judgment had to be made in a split second, so let’s be realistic about things as well.”
Cooney bristled at the suggestion that the lingering image from the weekend’s action remains that of the three Doyles deciding whether Geraghty’s goal should stand.
“The umpires are with Syl all the time. There are questions about whether it should be his son or shouldn’t be his son – why shouldn’t it be? The son is competent enough to do the job, he passed the examination with regards to umpires, so I have absolutely no problem with that.
“When we go into that we go into the dregs, with respect. We trust our referees that they pick people of quality. Syl is a top referee. His umpires have always done an outstanding job for him.”
If the experimental square ball rule from a year ago, which allowed an attacker enter the small rectangle once the ball had been kicked, then Geraghty’s goal would have been perfectly legitimate. But Congress rejected this law change.
“I liked that rule,” said Sligo’s Charlie Harrison, who is, of all things, a full back. “When the ball was kicked, everyone was au fait with that and everyone was grand with that. There didn’t seem to be any problems with the rules then. Then they changed it back. They should have just left it the way it was.
“Or else do what they do in the rugby or the International Rules – go to a third official, because, in fairness to the referee, he has to look at the ball, the man running into the square – it’s nearly impossible to judge where the ball is at and where the player is at. Maybe take the responsibility off the referee, or else change back to the rule of a couple of years ago.”
Again, Cooney baulked at the idea of video technology, and seemed to suggest that Hawk-Eye, recently tested at Croke Park, would not be adopted.
"I listened to a former player recently on (RTÉ's) The Committee Roomon Hawk-Eye technology, and his views were 'it's sport, we have swings and roundabouts. Some days we get the rub of the green, others we don't'."
