Camogie has moved on as a game but its rules are outdated, according to former All-Ireland winner and RTÉ Analyst Therése O’Callaghan.
Responding to a call from RTÉ Analyst Cyril Farrell’s call for female officials for camogie following Cork’s remarkable 2-12 to 1-09 win over Kilkenny in Sunday’s senior final, O’Farrell said that a priority for her would be modernising the rules of the game.
"[The rules] need to be updated before we start looking at referees," she told RTÉ Sport. "The game has moved on in the last few years. It’s moved on for the better, but the rules haven’t changed."
Three-time All-Ireland-winner O’Callaghan did not specify which rules she wished to see amended or replaced, but suggested that referees, too, were keen to see change happen.
"I know that the referees are anxious that the rules would be changed to give them more power to make better calls," she said.
"I see a lot of these referees officiating at GAA matches, and there aren't any issues.”
“The game has moved on in the last few years. It’s moved on for the better, but the rules haven’t" - Therése O'Callaghan
Reflecting on the game, and Cork’s comeback, O’Callaghan said: "It's one of the best we've seen in any All-Ireland final.
"In the first half I felt that Cork goalkeeper Aoife Murray, I know she was beaten by Michelle Quilty early on, but after that she was excellent.
"And then in the second half, when Cork took the game to Kilkenny, Jennifer O'Leary's goal pushed them ahead, then they shut down in the back line, and Angela Walsh’s goal at the death was the icing on the cake for them."
O’Callaghan had sympathy for Kilkenny, who also lost the intermediate final to Limerick. “To lose one final is heart-breaking, but to lose two on one day; it must be so hard for them to take this morning” and said they had not taken their chances in the first half when they were in the ascendancy.
"They had both goal and point opportunities, and they didn’t really build up enough advantage at the break when they were on top," she said.
"And then Cork opened up in the second half, and they overtook Kilkenny."
