Brian Gavin: A game as bad as the Ulster final tests concentration levels
29 May 2022; Lachlan Murray of Derry is tackled by Stephen McMenamin of Donegal during the Ulster GAA Football Senior Championship Final between Derry and Donegal at St Tiernach's Park in Clones, Monaghan. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
What a great honour it is to be appointed to referee a provincial final, be it football or hurling. There’s the game itself but it is also a nod from Croke Park that they may be considering you for even bigger games down the line.
Unfortunately for three of the four referees this weekend, they didn’t have the opportunity to show what they can do. Thanks to Kerry and Dublin’s dominance in Fitzgerald Stadium and Croke Park, Martin McNally and Paddy Neilan had little or nothing to do. Just two scored frees were awarded in Killarney. It may have been days in the sun for them but I doubt they truly enjoyed the games.
