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Kieran Donaghy | Umpires' roles need to be reviewed by GAA

Kieran Donaghy believes that the GAA may need to review the roles of umpires, in the wake of Davi...



Kieran Donaghy | Umpires' role...
Football

Kieran Donaghy | Umpires' roles need to be reviewed by GAA

Kieran Donaghy believes that the GAA may need to review the roles of umpires, in the wake of David Clifford's sending-off at the weekend.

Clifford was given two yellow cards, the latter being for a tangle with Tyrone's Ben McDonald.

Replays appeared to show the Kerryman doing little wrong, and coverage has questioned the decision by referee Fergal Kelly.

Umpires in the wrong?

"Fergal Kelly doesn't need to do anything as he has enough on his plate - it is his umpires," said Donaghy.

"They are officials of the game, they are watching the game so it is their fault.

"People ask what they are looking at. They are looking at the ball as the game unfolds before them.

"Their job shouldn't to be looking at the ball and how great of a game it is. Their job should be looking at what is going on in front of them - whether there is a back antagonising a forward, or vice versa.

"A lot of inside-forwards will tell you that you get pulled and dragged for sixty minutes and then the umpire speaks to the ref and he comes and books your man. I needed that to happen in the first five minutes."

Donaghy believes that there may be a miscommunication as to the role of the umpire.

"Maybe their roles are more defined, that they have a clear understanding of what they have to do.

"In Aussie rules, they have one young official that covers the whole goalscoring range of the pitch, and then the further behind range that is about eighteen metres.

"They run back and forth and get the right angles, if the ball is coming down the right then they get to the left of the pitch to get a good view as to whether it goes over or not.

"Maybe it is time to get up-and-coming referees, so that they can learn off the main man in the middle."

 

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