Electronic umpire would know the score, says Kelly

GAA PRESIDENT Sean Kelly believes the association should utilise technology to avoid a repeat of the scoring controversy which surfaced after Westmeath’s one point win over Offaly in the Leinster SFC on Sunday.

Brian Morley scored his second point of the afternoon 22 minutes into the first half after collecting a David Glennon pass, but there have since been claims that the effort was wide.

“Firstly, I was in New York, so I didn’t see it,” Kelly said when questioned if human error was something to be accepted as part and parcel of Gaelic games. “I only read about it in the papers. Certainly there will be human error but, at the same time, it was something that was looked at in the past in the effort to find some electronic means to decide whether the ball was inside the posts or outside it.

“With modern technology that should be possible. At the end of the day it’s about justice. If there’s some way of clearing this up it should be done. It should be looked at down the line because it’s all about fair play for everybody and there’s nothing worse than having a score allowed that wasn’t a score at all.

“I saw it myself when I was the chairman of the Munster Council with the famous score that Gerry Murphy got between Kerry and Tipperary [in 1999] that was wide. Technology is moving on and we should be able to avail of it. They have advances in medicine every day so why should something like this be a problem?” How technology would be incorporated into the games is another question. Some years back, Clare hurler Lorcan Hassett devised an ultimately unsuccessful system whereby a chip was placed inside a sliothar, which registered whether or not a shot had gone inside or outside the stanchions.

Another option would be to use a video referee as is the case in rugby and cricket. As for the possibility of Offaly seeking action on the Morley controversy, Leinster Council chairman Nicky Brennan yesterday stated that they had not received correspondence from the Offaly county board. Meanwhile, the president described New York’s attempt to secure a permanent home for itself on Randall’s Island as “their last great opportunity to do something for themselves.”

The City of New York has bequeathed a 25-acre plot of land free of charge to the New York county board who still need to raise €7m by September for development purposes in order for the venture to proceed.

“The location is brilliant because Randall’s Island is in the centre of all the boroughs and the location they have been given within Randall’s Island is perfect as well. I would hope that they would be able to get the finance and the backing required for it in order.”