Fitzpatrick rues failure to embrace technology

GAELIC GAMES:ELEVEN MONTHS to the day since an incorrect decision allowed Joe Sheridan's goal to stand and Meath to subsequently win the Leinster football championship, Louth manager Peter Fitzpatrick believes little has been done to avoid the recurrence of a similar situation.

Louth return to championship action this weekend against Carlow in Portlaoise, but it was the controversy surrounding Graham Geraghty’s disallowed goal against Kildare last weekend that has provoked continued disillusionment from the Fine Gael TD for Louth with regards to human error by match officials.

“I was one of the lucky ones present in Croke Park last Sunday and it was a goal,” said Fitzpatrick. “Whether it is Meath or any other county, it is a disgrace that the same thing that happened Louth last year has happened again.

“Teams want to win fair and square. The GAA have to get the rules right. Something should be done.”

The irony was not lost on Fitzpatrick as he witnessed Meath suffer a comparable fate to Louth, although with lesser consequences, as they relinquished the provincial title. But he was more concerned with the GAA embracing technology to remove the grey areas currently surrounding points and goals.

“Take rugby. What they have in place to decide if a try should be awarded is fantastic. It’s just not fair that 12 months of hard work can unravel on a decision.”

Earlier this week, GAA president Christy Cooney made a rigorous defence of officials, with particular attention to umpires.

“We got challenges last year with regard to our umpires and we responded to that and so did the national referees committee under Mick Curley. We devised a new (single weekend) training programme and a test . . .” said Cooney.

The president even seemed to move away from the proposed adoption of technology, to remove any ambiguity in Gaelic games over uncertain scores, despite Dublin hurler Alan McCrabbe confirming last Thursday that his point against Offaly on May 29th was wide, while Westmeath’s John Shaw also had a disputed point allowed, which levelled matters before his side eventually lost to Galway last Saturday.

“I listened to a former player recently on (RTÉ show) The Committee Room on 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,’” added Cooney.

The GAA installed Hawk Eye in Croke Park for the league finals to determine whether it could be a beneficial tool for Gaelic games. The system is currently used in tennis and cricket.

Fitzpatrick is however adamant about trying to put last year’s controversies past behind him.

“We have already got back to Croke Park and won the Division Three National League final,” Fitzpatrick explained.

“It was our fourth final, having lost the previous three, including the Meath game, so to win on the fourth attempt was important. We needed to do it and now we move on.”

QUALIFIER DRAW

THE GAA have confirmed the All-Ireland football qualifier draw will take place tomorrow evening in Carrick-on-Shannon following the Connacht semi-final between Leitrim and Roscommon. It will be shown live on RTÉ2 at approximately 6pm.

The draw includes all 16 counties who have not qualified for provincial semi-finals – and will thus include Down, Antrim, Fermanagh, Monaghan, Cavan/Donegal, Wicklow, Longford, Meath, Carlow/Louth, Wexford/Westmeath, Offaly, Laois, Clare, Tipperary, Sligo and London.

It will be an open draw and the first county drawn in each pairing will have home advantage, except where a team is drawn away for the second year running.