Shane McGrath says the GAA should avoid any kneejerk reactions in bringing in a VAR-style system into elite level inter-county hurling or football.
While referee Johnny Murphy received praise for his performance in the modern-day classic All-Ireland final between Clare and Cork at the weekend, there was some frustration on Leeside that a late free wasn't awarded to Robbie O'Flynn at the death.
The forward clearly had his jersey pulled by Conor Leen before putting a shot wide from the 21, in what proved to the final act of the game.
Almost immediately, viewers around the country were able to see that O'Flynn had been fouled but by then, the Clare celebrations had begun.
'Clare won the game... It'd be wrong to let it colour the whole game' - The panel assess the key moments in extra-time, with @DonalOgC arguing it would be wrong to dwell on the jersey tug on Robbie O'Flynn on the final play #thesundaygame #CLAvCOR #AllIrelandhurlingfinal pic.twitter.com/iN6iy5obut
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 21, 2024
For McGrath, who was speaking on the RTÉ GAA Podcast, it's a failing of all of the officials to spot the jersey tug, rather than just the referee alone.
"I wouldn't be for it [video assistance], personally," he said.
"You've got your two linesmen, your two umpires down on that side. You could have had four extra sets of eyes at that end of the field.
"Last second, high ball in; you know something is going to happen. You know somebody's going to get pulled, somebody is going to do something.
"Your two umpires are clued in, your two umpires are down there watching it, and Johnny's down there as well.
"So you've five sets of eyes on the thing to try and make a call. If you have that, and all those people are entitled to call it back, or entitled to be influential on the thing, that thing gets seen - or should get seen.
"The referee, like they do in lots of matches, goes with what the linesman says, or maybe, to a lesser degree, with what the umpire says."
While calls on individual fouls could slow down games, as they have done with video technology in both soccer and rugby union, the arguments against using technology when a clear error has been made on a sideline call or a 65 are weaker.
There was an example in Sunday's final when Seamus Harnedy saw an effort on goal blocked by a combination of Adam Hogan and Conor Cleary in the 48th minute of the contest.
Unusually, a controversial call was shown on replays on the big screens in the stadium, leading to booing from Cork supporters in Croke Park when it became clear that the wrong decision had been made.
The GAA has brought in technology to assist referees before, with Hawk-Eye in use to decide on points for over a decade now.
The system has not been without its own controversies - when it was stood down in the middle of 2023's All-Ireland football quarter-final weekend after being unable to determine a score in the meeting of Armagh and Monaghan.
And, while not a fan of the idea of video technology being used for further decisions, McGrath says he wouldn't be surprised to see it introduced.
"Who knows, they have embraced technology, and maybe this will be the next step for them."
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