Donaghy: Use technology to get the big calls right
Referring to McManamon’s unpunished foul in the dying stages of last year’s All-Ireland final as “galling”, the Kerry star argues frees and line balls can be adjudicated better using Croke Park’s two big screens.
Hawk-Eye score detection technology comes into play in Croke Park from June on a pilot basis, but Donaghy insists it doesn’t go far enough.
“The GAA have this kind of thing that, ‘oh, we can’t do it in Croke Park because we can’t do it everywhere else’,” said the Austin Stacks man, who first called for the introduction of video technology last year.
“I think it is a bit of a way out, to be honest with you. I think every game that is on in Croke Park, they have the advantages of two big screens and you can have a referee sitting where you have a fourth official just putting-up sub boards and that sort of thing.
“He could be doing a bit more, maybe ask him to check out if something was a free or not a free, is it a point or isn’t it, or was it a 45 or not a 45.
“I think in every game in Croke Park, it is that simple, it is that quick. What you eliminate then is fans being upset, referees and umpires getting grief after the game.
“You eliminate it because these guys are making decisions on what they see in live time and live time is not always as easy as we think it is. When we see a replay on the television we tend to go, ‘oh how did he get that wrong?’
“In live time that is a split-second decision, often a guess. It definitely would help and I definitely think it is an option to bring in for every game in Croke Park. Every game in Croke Park is a big game.”
It’s Donaghy’s contention that other things than simply score detection have a bearing on the outcome of games.
Taking a leaf out of American football’s book, he says, can help.
He explained: “I have seen line balls go out and I know it is our line ball and it goes the other way.
“In American football the coach throws a red flag onto the field and they go to a little box at the side of the field where they look at it, where they could actually look at it and say, ‘oh no, we got that wrong’, it is a Kerry ball or vice versa it is a Dublin one.”
Donaghy watched the NFL championship finals last weekend with a degree of envy. “Guys can go home, accept that they lost and not be looking at anything, was this a free or was that a free?
“They have the help of going over to the camera and checking it out.”
As much as he lives by the decisions referees make, McManamon’s foul that went undetected by referee Joe McQuillan last September still irks.
“The frees happen but when you miss clear cut things like fellas picking the ball off the ground and when you have a player like Bryan Sheehan and someone [McManamon] hops the ball twice on your own 45 with a minute to go in the game, you are saying that should be a free and Bryan Sheehan should be putting us up a point.
“But, look, that’s the one that might gall you a bit but the rest of the decisions you have to live with them, sometimes they go with you and sometimes they go against you.”
Donaghy lined out for Kerry in a challenge against Offaly last weekend and while he admits playing Dublin first day out in the league on Saturday week is “a bit soon”, he’s excited by the young players set to be blooded in the competition.
“We’ve got a few lovely players coming through and hopefully we’ll get to see them in the league and hopefully they can show their stuff because I certainly believe in the crop of young players that’s coming through. If we can try and blend them in year by year it’s only going to be good for Kerry football.”
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