Former Kerry manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice believes that the biggest issue to be solved in the GAA is the appointment of a second referee to elite matches.
Fitzmaurice was speaking exclusively to OTB AM following his resignation from the Kingdom setup on Sunday, following their ultimately inconsequential win over Kildare.
"For me, at the elite level anyway [...] I do think that the game needs two referees.
"I think referees need help. The game has become so quick, and there is so much going on off the ball. By the way, I am not saying that we are whiter than white in that regard - we are not. You push the limits to do whatever you have to do yourself. But I think we need a second referee."
The Kerryman also feels that natural conflicts of interest arise between a referee and his linesmen during the course of a match.
"I know that the minute that is mooted, the GAA say 'we have two linesmen on either side of him,' but the linesmen can give a certain amount of help. I think often what is forgotten is that they are rivals of the referee, other than on match day. They want to be in the middle themselves.
"If a fella is out in the middle of the field and he's making a bit of a hash of the game, it wouldn't be human for the two boys on the side to be saying 'Jeez, I might have a better chance of getting a chance of getting a big game or an All Ireland down the line'.
"The other thing that I think that referees need a hand with - I think they are behind the curve a bit when it comes to the 'dark arts'. If I was involved with the referees' committee, what I would love to see is two recently-retired players and managers [...] in with the referees in advising them about what is going on and where the game is at."
You can watch the full interview with Eamonn here.
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