Paul Geaney: GAA bosses must consider second referee

Paul Geaney says GAA hierarchy must consider the introduction of a second referee following a mass brawl in the Kerry SFC semi-final replay which is likely to result in heavy sanctions for both Dingle and East Kerry.

As the Kerry CCC await referee Paul Hayes’ report, Geaney, who was full-forward on the Dingle team which came through Sunday’s heated affair at Tralee to book their place in this weekend’s final, has advocated for the introduction of a second referee.

The melee, which played out in front of the Dingle dugout early in the second half, resulted in a red card for East Kerry’s Paudie Clifford, while a member of each management was sent to the stand. New video footage which emerged yesterday shows an individual, wearing a black and red top, striking East Kerry forward Dara Moynihan, who wasn’t physically engaging in the fight, with his left hand.

Geaney says it is “very difficult” for a referee to keep control of proceedings when such an all-out brawl breaks out.

There was a punch-up in a basketball match [on Saturday], it does happen. When there is adrenaline pumping and there are the physical stakes, it is possible to happen. The stakes are high. There was a county final on the line. It happens. Is it excusable? Probably not,” the Dingle and Kerry forward told Radio Kerry after the game.

“You are looking at your teammates and if they are in trouble, you are going to help them out. There was no malice in any of them. It was two teams trying to stamp their authority on the game. It just flares up sometimes.

“Maybe, they do have to look at a second referee to stamp authority because there were two incidents, the same incident really, and when a referee is trying to deal with it on one side, then something else flared up. It is very difficult.”

2016 and 2018 All-Ireland final referee Conor Lane, speaking last week, voiced his opposition to a game being officiated by two referees, claiming “one is more than enough”.

Former Kerry footballer Ambrose O’Donovan, present at Austin Stack Park for the replay, condemned the violent scenes. The three-time All-Ireland winner is not sold on Geaney’s second referee suggestion but is absolutely certain the overcrowded dugouts contributed to the escalation of the second-half brawl.

Having 17 subs in a dugout and 10 or 12 of a backroom team, that’s too much. There were too many people on the line at the game. One of the linesmen took a lot of stick from both sides. That’s not right.

“You don’t want these melees overshadowing games, but that’s what is happening at the moment. Whatever you can do to eliminate that, then you must do that. Crowded dugouts are not helping. Subs should be sitting up in the stands.”

O’Donovan added: “At one stage in the game, Jack Sherwood [East Kerry] was going for a ball and momentum carried him into the Dingle dugout. I don’t think a player should be put in that position. Safety of players has to come first. It’s an accident waiting to happen.”

The Kerry CCC, according to a statement released yesterday, “are awaiting the referee’s report and will proceed accordingly”. It remains to be seen if the committee, when deciding on the appropriate punishment, will come down as hard as Down officials following the league game between Downpatrick and Ballyholland where a melee spilt onto an embankment and saw supporters targeted.

Both clubs have been banned from the 2019 Down SFC, while players were hit with proposed 48 and 96-week suspensions.

Ruth Allen, who was working as a physio at Austin Stack Park, tweeted: “It was a pure disgrace!! This could have been avoided - as officiating Chartered physiotherapist I was appalled!”

Another former Kerry footballer Billy O’Shea likened the brawl to the 1996 All-Ireland final dust-up between Mayo and Meath.

“It looked awful,” O’Shea told Radio Kerry. “Paul Hayes did the right thing in sending off members of both managements. “They were involved in it and they shouldn’t have been. They should have been telling their players to get out of it and get on with the game, instead of getting involved.”

Elsewhere, Sunday’s Cork SFC decider between St Finbarr’s and Duhallow throws in at 3.30pm. The curtain-raiser is the intermediate final between Cill na Martra and Aghabullogue (1.30pm).

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