The Gaa Social: 'Honeymoon about' for new football rules says Oisin McConville

McConville has long been an advocate of Gaelic football who presents a second referee and believes that the introduction of the new rules makes such a change an absolute necessity – although this is something that should be accepted at the congress.

“The amount of things a referee can be seen. The entire focus is now on the 20 seconds [for the goalkeepers] And some of the others [off-the-ball] Things [in the middle of the field] Doesn't seem that important.

“If we want to keep the 20 seconds, we relieve part of the burden on the referee [to deal with] Because a referee can definitely not keep anything over everything that is going on. “

McConville believes that the introduction of two referees could even have the effect of gaining more people in referees.

“I would throw my hat in the ring to be a referee if I thought I had a buddy at the other end of the field, and we both had the back of the other. I think we missed a trick. It's time for two referees. I have only said that for about 15 years.

“It now has the feeling that the game is so fast … I mean the transition … I see it in the fourth division and if you go up the departments, it is even faster. You don't catch them with the top teams. You make the decision from 60 meters away. We have made life very hard for the referee.

“If you always make mistakes because you have too much on your plate, it is time to take a little bit off the plate.”