Gaelic Games

Offaly manager Kearns calls on GAA to protect referees doing ‘invaluable’ job

Roscommon referees have withdrawn their services for all weekend matches following midweek assault

Liam Kearns: `A clear and unambiguous message needs to be sent out in relation to how the GAA will protect the people [referees] doing these jobs.' Photograph: Brian Reilly-Troy/Inpho
Liam Kearns: `A clear and unambiguous message needs to be sent out in relation to how the GAA will protect the people [referees] doing these jobs.' Photograph: Brian Reilly-Troy/Inpho
Paul Keane
Sat Sept 03 2022 - 06:00

Offaly manager Liam Kearns has called on the GAA to give a “clear and unambiguous message” regarding the protection of referees following an alleged assault in Roscommon.

Referee Kevin Naughton – from the same Clann na nGael club that Kearns managed to the 2021 Roscommon SFC final – required medical treatment and was taken to hospital following an incident in a midweek minor football championship game.

As a result, Roscommon referees have withdrawn their services for all matches scheduled in the county this weekend.

Kearns, who managed Clann na nGael for two seasons and who was also a selector with the Roscommon team for a period, said he never came across an incident like this during his time there.

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Retired Garda Kearns said he didn’t wish to pre-empt what action may be taken but called for clear support of referees.

“I don’t want to comment on what will or won’t be done,” said the Kerry man. “Let people make their own mind up on it. I just think it has to be dealt with properly and a clear and unambiguous message needs to be sent out in relation to how the GAA will protect the people doing these jobs.

[ Roscommon referees withdraw their services in wake of alleged assault ]

“It’s a hugely invaluable job to have volunteers giving of their time to referee matches. The other aspect is that it’s so disappointing that this incident happened in an underage game, a minor game. That’s just so disappointing.”

Kearns said that, in general, people involved with and supporting underage teams need to consider their behaviour around games and training.

“We have too much of, you know, people on the sideline treating underage matches like they’re senior matches and not watching their language and all the appropriate things that should be done and I think that’s something that we need to improve on in the GAA in general,” said the former Limerick, Laois and Tipperary boss.

“I’m just saying that to go to an underage match and to see people speaking to underage players as if they’re senior players, it’s not something that should be happening really in my view. As I said, there’s a culture there and it needs to be changed.”

On his new role with Offaly, Kearns acknowledged that getting the county’s best players onto the pitch for the 2023 season will be a huge challenge initially.

Veteran Niall McNamee could quit, key players including Cormac Egan, John Furlong and Cian Farrell have been injured while Peter Cunningham and Eoin Carroll were away travelling.

“I think if you get them all fit and available and on the pitch together, I think there’s a very good group of players there and a very good panel but that seems to have been a big issue,” said Kearns.

Referee Kevin Naughton lies injured following an incident during a minor football game in Roscommon
Referee Kevin Naughton lies injured following an incident during a minor football game in Roscommon

Despite signing up to another intercounty position, which he equates to a full-time job, Kearns said he found a lot of this year’s championship “boring”. He wants the GAA to draft new rules that “encourage attacking football and more risk taking”.

“I find I watch a football match now and it’s boring, long stages of it is boring,” said Kearns. “Passing it backwards, passing it laterally, protecting possession, no 50-50 balls in, challenges being limited. That’s all stuff I’m not enjoying as a spectator, not to mind a coach.

“I just feel we need to make the game more interesting. The changed rules, in my opinion, are not working. The likes of David Clifford and these guys are what the public want to see and the way the game is at the moment, we’re killing those people.

“We’re denying them room to express their talents and I just think we have to bring the game to a more entertaining place. It’s as simple as that.”

* Liam Kearns was speaking at the Offaly Association, Dublin Golf Classic in aid of Offaly GAA and in association with Shane Lowry at Palmerstown House Estate