Replying To indaknownow:  "I have a slightlydifferent perspective on black cards - There should be no sin bin.
Punishment for a black card offence is a yellow card for the individual - and a 14 meter free to the team regardless of where the foul occurred. BUT in the last five minutes of a game a penalty will be awarded. I think that would drive the correct behaviour.
Unfortunately that wont address the vagries of the Referees."

Replying To gatha:  "You obviously didn't read the post previous to the last one. I am implying nothing. He had a bad game. Just as players have bad games. You are implying I am questioning his integrity I can tell you I am not. I did say he was lucky because if Kilkenny had lost on that call Kelly would have come under criticism. He proved to me he wasn't a great referee when he put Henry Shefflin off in 2013 for a slap on the hand and followed that up with his performance in 2014. I really don't care how many finals he was involved in. That is just my opinion."

Replying To indaknownow:  "I have a slightlydifferent perspective on black cards - There should be no sin bin.
Punishment for a black card offence is a yellow card for the individual - and a 14 meter free to the team regardless of where the foul occurred. BUT in the last five minutes of a game a penalty will be awarded. I think that would drive the correct behaviour.
Unfortunately that wont address the vagries of the Referees."

Replying To midlands:  "We all have our own opinions, gatha. and maybe our views on referees are sometimes coloured by county allegiances. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Bubbles' missed free in 2014 didn't actually save Barry Kelly from some scathing criticism. I would still regard him as one of the top referees over the past 20 years, and he must have been highly regarded to be appointed to so many high profile matches. I guess we'll just have to agree to differ on this one. On a sad note, I was sorry to read of the untimely death of your county man Harry Ryan, RIP. This has certainly been a tough year for his family."

Replying To gatha:  "Very sad couple of years for the Ryan family. Another brother, I believe Lester Ryan's father, was killed in a farming accident a few years ago. Things like this put everything in perspective."

Replying To zinny:  "Yes but rugby is a start stop game and the time is there for the referee to explain it. In the GAA its about getting on with the game and believe me if players were allowed to discuss the reason for a free with the ref it would take all day at times. We want speed not delays in the GAA. Most of the times a ref will gesture to the player the reason for the free and regardless of if he agrees with it or not he will argue its wrong, its just the way players are, they never do anything wrong!"

Replying To KillingFields:  "Why shouldnt there be a sin bin?
Whats wrong with losing a player for 10 minutes.
An automatic 14m free for fouls anywhere on pitch isnt the answer. Its not basketball with fouls etc and certainly shouldnt get a penalty either.
Change the rulebook."

Replying To Temple56:  "But how can you define a black card? If you bring in this rule then we will have the same problems as the black card. You will have referees giving 14 yards frees for late tackles.
For Example imagine that rule was in place last weekend and Donegal got two 14 yard frees instead of black cards!
This could have change the outcome of the game even though neither were black card offences!"

Replying To indaknownow:  "I just think linking the punishment directly to the crime will have a better effect in eliminating the crime in the first place.
Forget about the refereeing errors on Sunday. Most black card offences are committed to stop a team getting a build-up in advance of a score. If effectively you are giving away a score by committing the foul then it makes no sense to foul. (Remember these are deliberate fouls.)
The black card rule as it stands has done nothing to eliminate the cynical/professional foul in the last few minutes of a game in order to protect a lead or run down the clock. If a penalty was the punishment rather than a sin bin - this would change."

Replying To gatha:  "In 2014 drawn game Barry Kelly nearly gift wrapped an All Ireland for Tipp he made one of the worst calls at THE worst time on Brian Hogan. Fortunately for Kelly and Kilkenny Bubbles barely missed the free and it went to a replay. However Cusak question Murphy's integrity Sunday night and that should never happen. All refs, at inter county leve,l I believe go in to a game with the right intentions just like players however they can have a bad game."

Replying To DUALSUPPORT:  "I was at the game, as a neutral it was 50/50 I don't think it was as contentious as you believe it to be I'm not being smart but the Tipperary lads could say Kilkenny got a penalty in the 09 final which was really a 21 yard free that altered the course of the game but look it we could here til Christmas talking about different dicisions going for and against teams. On Cusack also I remember he criticised the umpire for going to Hawkeye 3 times during the second half in the 2014 final which was stupid rubbish out of him, the technology is there to be used if an umpire is unsure. If Cusack really wants to improve officiating in hurling wouldn't he be making suggestions on how to help out officials rather criticizing them every chance he gets."

Replying To CiarraiMick:  "Referees are bound to make mistakes.to err is human.i have been at many games and at different times when the ref makes a contentious decision people always have different opinions depending on what team they supporting.We all have rose tinted glasses.On two occasions the last few years two referees have come out and admitted they made mistakes,In an all Ireland football final Dublin v Mayo a few years ago John Small fouled a Mayo player early on with a certain black card offence.The ref never gave a black card and a few days later the ref went public saying he made a mistake.Also in the all Ireland semi in16 Kerry v Dublin in the last two mins Kerry were down a point chasing the game when Peter Crowley was blatantly fouled for what would be a very scoreable free for Kerry to equalise.the ref left play go on and Connolly got a great point for Dublin to win by two.The refi think was David Gough and he came out 2 days later on the papers saying his sight was blocked by another player and when he saw it afterwards admitted he should have given Kerry a free in to equalise.Now you can say fair play but sure it was nt much good in the aftermath,So what use is it for a ref to explain afterwards when you cant change a decision.As I say everyone makes mistakes but my problem with some refs are when in croke park and a foul is committed they wont look at the b. ig screen for a reolay.if its very dirty the big screen wont show the replay.Another problem I have with some refs is injury time.Alot of them don't add on the proper amount ot extra time.if at the end of full time there are 5 mins injury time that means at least 5 mins injury.any other injury or time wasting during that time has to be added on extra.The Ladies football are away ahead on time keeping.Even there recently I was watching one of the hurling games and there was one minte injury time added in the first half.i time so there the water beak which was over a minute so there was no injury time played really,actually it was blown up early.I actually think some refs panic and when they stop their watch and don't add on the real time."

Replying To KillingFields:  "Big screen cant really be used unless its within the rules of the game to allow that. Injury time is at discretion of officials is it not?
When you say dont add on the real time what do you mean by real time anyway?"

Replying To CiarraiMick:  "What I mean real time is if there is a player down injured for 8 mins and theres 3 subs that's another minute and the water break is a minute then after the 35 there should be at least10 minutes added on and also if there is time wasting or another injury during the ten mins that has to be added on extra.On the big screen ive seen players trying to get the ref to look but they don't.Maybe they not allowed look."