Hurling referees under the spotlight as they gather for review meeting

The GAA’s leading hurling referees will gather on Wednesday evening for a review of the championship so far, a planned meeting at the National Games Development centre. í á

The Abbotstown get together will follow last week’s meeting of football referees at the same venue and will give whistlers an opportunity to delve into various talking points from major championship games across the last three weekends.

The dismissal of Cork captain Seán O’Donoghue during their Munster SHC loss to Clare, the booking of Galway’s Conor Cooney last weekend and the positioning error by referee James Owens for Stephen Bennett’s penalty in Saturday’s Waterford/Tipperary Round 3 game at Walsh Park are all expected to generate discussion.

Pundit Donal Óg Cusack highlighted a number of apparent mistakes made by referees and match officials during his analysis of last weekend’s games on The Sunday Game.

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The Cork man noted indecision over a Conor McDonald point attempt for Wexford against Galway – it was initially given by one umpire but declared wide by the other – and the fact that the second half restarted despite Wexford still not having all their players back out.

Cusack concluded that referees, particularly in hurling, need to be extremely “brave” to do their job and are under such pressure now that they need their team of match day officials “on the ball – which they’re not”.

Three-time All-Ireland final referee Brian Gavin was even more cutting in his weekend analysis whilst writing in his Irish Examiner column.

The Offaly man, who last refereed a MacCarthy Cup final in 2016, said that the “pool of intercounty hurling referees seems extremely shallow at the moment” and claimed that Wexford man Owens is “not refereeing with confidence” at the moment and that, crucially, it was “a gamble assigning him” the Tipp/Waterford game.

Owens, who’d sent O’Donoghue off the previous weekend, ended up running across the eyeline of goalkeeper Barry Hogan, in an attempt to get out of the way, while Bennett was in the process of taking a penalty for Waterford.

Gavin and Cusack were both in agreement that a retake should have been ordered though the goal was allowed to stand.

Despite the negative commentary and the apparent errors which have been highlighted, it’s understood that there is no concern among those who will preside over this week’s meeting of hurling officials.

Similarly, in football, last Tuesday’s planned review with referees was used as an opportunity to assess and to learn from various decisions made in recent weeks, with a training session and seminar also included on the day.

Leading football referee David Gough came into focus on Sunday for his handling of the closing minutes of the Connacht final between Galway and Mayo.

Gough frustrated Galway, who were at that stage chasing the game, by refusing to allow Sean Kelly to take a quick free, as he’d moments earlier signalled for the free not to be taken so that a substitution could take place.

Kelly had passed to the in-form Damien Comer who appeared to have a goalscoring opportunity ahead of him. Mayo fans later complained about the free awarded to Galway, for over-carrying by Conor Loftus, from which goalkeeper Conor Gleeson kicked the winning point.