McEnaney caught in the middle again

International Rules poses problems for referees that no other match officials have to face. The two central figures are arbitrating on the actions of their own compatriots and always seem to arouse the suspicions of the opposition. This week in Australia, the biggest disciplinary controversy to strike the series has centred on a basic refusal to accept the authority of Australian umpire Brett Allen and Ireland selector Paddy Clarke's consequent suspension.

Pat McEnaney has been caught in the middle - literally on Friday when he had to intervene to move Irish players and officials away from the beleaguered Allen after the first Test ended in a row. The Monaghan referee has been one of the top GAA match officials over the past five years and was involved in the international series last year in Dublin where Allen was also his counterpart.

"I was very surprised," he says about the events of last Friday in Melbourne. "It was disappointing to say the least the way things worked out. Ireland were seven points up and players should have known that the lineball had to be taken. Earlier in the game Michael Donnellan was allowed to take a kick after the hooter had sounded.

"The ball went out over the line at the end and it was entitled to be kicked back into play. The reaction of some of our players and management just wasn't good enough."

He recalls his role in calming things down. "I just went for the people who I knew would respect me and my opinion. I went to the players and Brian McEniff, trying to get through to one or two players to get the rest of the lads out of there, that this wasn't good enough.

"What happened with Paddy Clarke was behind me. I was just facing the other way getting Brian McEniff to calm down. The management were a little bit heated and when you've got management heated, players will follow suit. It's something the game can definitely do without."

The controversy aside, McEnaney has enjoyed the trip to date, as it has given him the opportunity to conduct his hobby on a full-time basis. "It's been a tremendous experience to be a professional referee for three and a half weeks, training, masseurs, swimming pools, food. It's totally different to what you do at home. I like refereeing so being a professional referee is brilliant."

Unlike two years ago in Australia when Michael Curley was the Irish referee, McEnaney has been staying in the team hotels. He is uncomfortable with the perception that this is a regressive step, sustaining allegations of bias against match officials.

"I don't have a big problem with that," he says of the likely reversion to separate billeting. "From a referee's perspective it's more enjoyable to travel with the official party. My wife's not with me (Curley's was in 1999) so my full focus is on refereeing and training. From the outside, with people looking in, I would say yeah, maybe so. But does it gain anything is the question I've got to ask. You're still Irish and refereeing the Irish team.

"Maybe from the point of view of players within and officials over the team, if you come in from the cold from somewhere they haven't seen you, it might be the way forward."

On the broader issue of how Irish referees and Australian umpires are regarded by the other side, he says that although he likes to think the Australian players regard him as fair, he's under no illusions about the potential attitude of players.

"I would hope so. Natural instinct is to think if the referee's Australian and you're playing Australia that you're not going to get the benefit of the doubt and I'm sure they're thinking the very same thing. But this competition demands fair refereeing. We've got to rise above this. The future of the competition depends on fair refereeing and I've watched Brett Allen this past couple of years and he's been quite fair and I'm hoping that they see me that way as well."

The radio links between the various match officials have proved very successful. "It's a super system," says McEnaney. "It enables referees, linesmen and umpires (in GAA terminology) to maintain contact with each other. These communications are heard by the GAA and AFL monitors - which allows them to analyse decision-making with a view to harmonising on-field decisions."

During the practice match last week, a lineball given by one linesman was overruled when both McEnaney and Allen were able to confer immediately and ask that the decision be reversed. One of the monitors was able to convey that he agreed with the decision.

It is a technology that would benefit Gaelic games greatly in Ireland. In the meantime it will be used again this Friday. Perhaps surprisingly, McEnaney doesn't consider himself a total convert to the international game and thinks this week's second Test carries quite a responsibility for the future of the project.

"My mind's still open on this game. I refereed the two games last year and Australia won them handily. We were poor. You've got to say the first half in this year's game was poor. Ireland got back in the game with two goals that were Christmas presents and there was good excitement in the final quarter.

"But for the series to continue we need more of that kind of stuff and I'll reserve my opinion on the whole thing until we see the final Test here but I think we need a big game."