Let players speak up to ref, says Mayo’s Higgins

Mayo captain Keith Higgins believes players should have an opportunity to speak to all referees about decisions during games. 

Following on from Tipperary selector Tommy Twomey’s call for an outlet between managers and referees, Higgins says designated players, possibly captain and vice-captains, should be allowed to approach the match official.

GAA president Liam O’Neill has already spoken in favour of captains being the only player permitted to speak to referees. He believes adopting a rugby-style approach would cut down on dissent.

Higgins is in favour of opening the channels of communication for the sake of understanding and transparency.

“There are times in a game when a ref might give a decision and frustration might get the better of you and you ask him in the wrong way!

Sometimes you just like to know. We talk about the consistency of refereeing and they have a hard job but sometimes you just want to know what a free is for. It could be a good thing, whether it comes in or not. Some refs would talk to you during a game, others wouldn’t.”

He accepts there would be logistical issues about a corner-back like himself querying a decision with a referee when he might be at the other end of the field. Designating a representative in both halves, he says, may be a solution.

“In rugby it’s start-stop and the ref can say ‘time off’. If you’re corner-back you can’t run the length of the pitch to ask ‘what was that?’ Maybe have someone at each end… sometimes you just want feedback about what you did wrong.”

Ahead of Congress where the future of the clock/hooter will be voted on, Higgins admits players during matches are unaware of the time remaining outside Croke Park.

“Last year’s (drawn) game against Kerry and you’re down at the Canal End and all you can see is the big screen with the time on it. You do realise what’s gone and what’s left and then when it comes to injury time you hear it on the PA, so you are aware of it. It’s just about, if you are a few points up, you have to manage it a small bit better.

“If you’re playing a league game in Castlebar there’s no clock and you might be relying on umpires to tell you what’s gone.”

Mayo welcome Monaghan to Elverys MacHale Park this weekend hoping to make up for their round two 1-11 to 1-7 defeat to Tyrone, when the visitors’ uber-defensive structure surprised Higgins.

“They’re always a tough team to play against but we didn’t expect them to go that defensive. We can’t have any complaints and I suppose we have to use that and look at what they did and if we come up against something like that again, see what we can do differently.

“It could be a learning curve for us. I think it was Donie Vaughan said you learn more out of defeat than victory. Win and you’re probably thinking, ‘great, things are flying’, but when you lose like you look back and see what you did wrong and how you can improve.”

Thanks to James Horan, Higgins enjoyed some time in the forward line in the 2013 Championship and last year’s league but can’t see Pat Holmes and Noel Connelly moving him away from corner-back.

“I don’t think that’s in their plans. I enjoyed it the few days I did it, in the Championship anyway; in the league wasn’t so good. I enjoyed it but can’t see it happening again.”

Higgins would like to think he and the players have become so self-driven that they are making things as low maintenance as possible for Holmes and Connelly.

“The management will have their ideas of how they want to play or what kind of set up they want to put in place. But the players have the standards from training and how they do things off the field and hopefully everything will fall into place after that. You’d hope players being around will mean they are mature enough and smart enough to set the standards for themselves.”