Three things we know now: The GAA weekend in review

Referees take centre stage in this week’s Monday review, while Donegal’s class of 2012 look a match for everyone.

By Shane Breslin

Sin-binning can’t come soon enough

Did you witness the Kerry-Tyrone game on Saturday evening? Poor you. And poor David Coldrick. Mickey Harte, the Tyrone manager, laughably suggested that Coldrick was to blame for the fractious nature of the encounter at Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney – quoted in today’s Irish Independent, he said, “I thought that we had left that behind us when Pat McEnaney came in to look after referees, in that he was sending the message out that you don't need a plethora of yellow cards. But it didn't seem to get the message through to this man today.”

If there’s to be a criticism of Coldrick, it’s that one red card and 16 yellow cards didn’t go nearly far enough. Five or six red cards would have given this game the spotlight that it deserved. It was a despicable encounter, full of the horrible in-your-face false machismo that is the single biggest blight on Gaelic football. The GAA must introduce sin-binning, and they must do it as soon as its constitution allows. A couple of early ten-minute stints on the Killarney sideline would have concentrated minds on football.

Video evidence is already here

What can you say about Marty Duffy’s decision to reverse a decision to call a wide on Eoghan O’Gara’s shot in the Leinster final? A brave referee using his experience to make the right call? Or a strange decision which opens a serious can of worms for every official for the rest of the year and beyond?

You can be sure that whenever there’s a controversial call on a score now that the put-upon side will be clamouring around the ref urging him to check out the big screen. Duffy might have thought he was doing the right thing on Sunday, but time will tell whether his call will create a shitstorm that the GAA will have a job to quell.

Donegal are a serious challenge to anyone

You have to hand it to Jim McGuinness. Eleven months ago he found the finger pointed in his direction after overseeing the most negative performance ever seen at Croke Park, and he later lost the services of star man Kevin Cassidy.

But McGuinness is singularly unshakable in his belief, and he has fostered a team in his own image. Donegal’s physical strength kept them in the battle when Down appeared to hold an edge, and their physical fitness crushed the Mournemen after the break. The saddest part of last year’s virtually unwatchable All-Ireland semi-final against Dublin was that Donegal have some fine forwards at their disposal. The Class of 2012 looks like being able to get the most out of Murphy, McFadden, McHugh & Co

Whoever beats them will have earned it.