Fines could cloud GAA's progress

The swingeing fines imposed by the Games Administration Committee on the Clare, Offaly and some other county boards this week seems less than wise. The imposition of fines for "incursions" onto the field is scarcely, the way to go about solving the problem - and the GAA imposing fines on the GAA is, quite honestly, ludicrous.

Having discussed the matter with several people who were at last Sunday's matches in Croke Park, and enjoyed them, I discovered that nobody could say that they were greatly concerned about water carriers, hurley carriers, paramedics or others. The GAA has, quite properly, sought to limit the number of people who are allowed to "invade" the pitch during really important matches. For a start such intruders can, and often do, disturb the concentration of players and the GAA authorities were quite right in seeking to curb, limit or totally prevent such behaviour. Of course the GAA authorities are not completely innocent in this matter themselves. Officials at Croke Park are well aware that intrusions onto the playing area are frequently made by paid officials at Croke Park. One such official in particular is notorious, and a figure of fun among Croke Park people, for his determination to be seen as often as possible on television.

Some - not all - green-jacketed denizens seem to derive enjoyment from showing how powerful they are and, rather than being helpful, they seem to relish the opportunity to be the very opposite.

As far as presentation of the games themselves are concerned, the GAA authorities have cleaned up their act in recent years. It seems they are now in danger of being far too strict. The games of football and hurling are extremely demanding insofar as players and referees are concerned and this should be taken into account.

It is reasonable to require sideline officials to be disciplined and they should be very carefully chosen. The priority, however, must always be the players, and it is grossly unjust that Clare were fined, I believe, £400 when a second medic came onto the pitch when P J O'Connell was injured late in last Sunday's match. That is outrageous. When the health of a player is at stake there should be no limit to the amount of help he can be given.

What is needed, it seems to me, is far more discipline among the senior sideline men in any match and a determination by county board officers to see that the people they appoint understand the limits of their duties and responsibilities. Too many managers behave as if they were still players.

Managers or selectors who feel that they have to communicate with the players on a frequent willy nilly basis are really admitting that they have not done their homework properly.

In any good team there is a captain and, often, at least two or three others who have the leadership qualities which will always come into play in the course of a match. A whispered message, a slap on the back or a pointed finger can convey more than all sorts of demented running hither and thither by "tormentors".

In regard to the role of the match officials, the GAA should adopt modern technology. The decision of referee Jimmy Cooney to curtail last Sunday's match while about three minutes of added time was left to play was amazing. But the referee has more than enough to do without being responsible for time keeping, and this function should be given to a separate official.

In addition it is now imperative that coloured cards be used to indicate what decisions have been made.

Referees were issued with new rules recently in regard to such things as warnings, booking and dismissals. But confusion now reigns among paying customers because these instructions were, as far as I can gather, never promulgated officially to the players or the media. The selection of umpires is another problem which must be addressed as well as the introduction of a second referee in all the big matches and a system which would record bookings so that frequent breaches of the rules could be punished at a certain stage when bookings built up to unacceptable levels. The GAA has made enormous and admirable strides within the last 20 years or so insofar as the presentation and promotion of the games are concerned. These advances should be jealously guarded but complacency should also, at all costs, be avoided. Imposing huge fines is not, in itself, the solution to any problems.