QUESTION: HAVE YOU EVER HAD A TOM HENNING OVREBO?

MONAGHAN’s Pat McEnaney, by general acclaim the best football referee in the country, was the man in the middle for the stormy Meath/Mayo All-Ireland football final replay, recalling it as a game in which he definitely made mistakes but ‘couldn’t say’ his overall performance was poor.

Fri, 15 May, 2009 - 01:00

Jim O’Sullivan

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However, he has no hesitation in saying that the Munster final between Cork and Kerry in Pairc Uí Chaoimh two years later ‘was handled poorly’ by him.

“I left Carrickmacross on a Saturday and it was a beautiful day, but at about 12 o’clock on Sunday the heavens opened. I went into the game thinking it was going to be a free-flowing game and I was going to stand back and let them play football. But I didn’t get my psyche right. I didn’t change my belief on the game and it turned out to be a very difficult game to referee. It was also one of my poorest performances. I have always said it was the one game I learned the most from in my refereeing career.

“I hadn’t a grip on it and was letting one thing go after another. Two players were rolling around almost before the ball was thrown in and I failed to deal with that situation. Another player made a rash challenge and I failed to take the stern action that was required. It was one of those games where I had no control and was lucky to finish with 30 players on the pitch. That was the only positive I took from it.

“The number one lesson I learned is you never pre-empt what a game is going to be like. I always remember that game and it focuses my mind anytime I referee now. You always prepare for the worst!

“I’m refereeing Tyrone and Armagh in three weeks time. I will be focusing on that potentially being a very explosive game. I have got to add up all the eventualities that could be coming out of it and make sure I have all the angles covered.”

*Tom Henning Ovrebo is the Norwegian ref in charge of the stormy Chelsea-Barcelona Champions League semi final. He had to be smuggled out of London the following morning for his own safety.