National Football League: Fourteen weekend dismissals follow move for consistency by officials, writes Seán Moran

The GAA's National Referees Committee has moved to try and enforce greater consistency among inter-county officials. This has emerged in the wake of the weekend's NFL second series, which saw 14 players shown red cards, more than twice the number dismissed during the opening series.

According to the NRC spokesperson Fr Séamus Gardiner, referees met last week to discuss the approach to this season's league. He emphasised the importance of every official whistling off the same music sheet.

"Frank Burke (NRC chairperson) appealed to all referees to implement the rules because newer referees are apprehensive that if they whistle up everything, older more experienced colleagues will let things go and play advantages and so on.

"And the big complaint of players and commentators is that we're not consistent. And that will go on if there are different styles of refereeing."

One man who is seeing things from a different perspective now is Westmeath selector Paddy Collins, a very experienced All-Ireland referee who also chaired the NRC during Joe McDonagh's presidency. His team's defeat by Longford included three red cards. He says that there has always been a difference in approach between referees.

"That's been there a long time, over many, many years. Older referees have the ability to maintain order without reaching for their pocket. Sometimes a stern look can have the same effect as a yellow card."

Gardiner says last week's meeting didn't represent a draconian new policy, simply a desire to enforce the rules across the board.

"We always have meetings at the beginning of the league. Because of the bad weather this meeting was postponed until last Tuesday. The advice to referees wasn't "a clamp-down"; it was to implement the rules. We mentioned in particular the pick-up but also the elbow and shoulder to the face fouls.

"We picked out instances from matches and asked for their views. Then we said, 'we know what you think but this is what the referees' committee thinks'."

Sunday's matches reflect this emphasis, with the majority of red cards being for two yellow-card offences rather than fouls meriting immediate ordering-off. Gardiner believes that if this rigorous approach is maintained there will be a reduction in the current high levels of fouling.

"If they could keep it up I think it would pretty quickly have an effect on the pulling and dragging and hammering with the fist."

Collins isn't convinced that matches have become more difficult to handle or that fouling is more commonplace in the modern game. But he does feel that the league is more competitive than previously and that teams are fitter.

"I think it would be a mistake to extrapolate too much from a couple of rounds of the National League but I believe the league has become ultra competitive and the level players are operating at is very high for February. Counties trying to play catch-up - and I'd include Westmeath in that - are putting in severe physical preparation.

"I think there are more hits going in. Many players, even at this early stage, have three months training behind them so they're in better condition to give and absorb hits."

When asked about measures that would assist referees, Gardiner opts for a simple but straightforward innovation.

"I would like to see players' numbers on their togs . . . we've let that be known in the past but nothing's ever come of it."

Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that the Games Administration Committee will be looking into the incident at the end of the Kerry-Cork match last Saturday when Kerry's Paul Galvin was taken to hospital after allegedly being struck by an opponent when leaving the field.

Match broadcasters TG4 didn't capture what happened but it is believed that one of the umpires saw the incident and reported it to match referee Micahel Ryan of Limerick, who is expected to include it in his report, which will be considered at the GAC's next meeting on 18th February. His report is also expected to shed light on the sending-off of Pádraig Griffin, which wasn't captured by the cameras.