‘No regrets... just reflection'

Both James McGrath and Barry Kelly have brought great honour to the Lake County in recent years by refereeing at the highest level of hurling. Recently, McGrath talked to Gerry Buckley about the highs and lows of his inter-county whistling career, which saw him officiate in 31 counties - Kerry being the exception - and recently ended in controversial fashion, ironically, after having been the man in the middle for 31 senior inter-county championship matches

Picture the scene. A very prominent inter-county hurling referee decides to break a long journey home by stopping at a pub from which music is blaring, to treat his dedicated team of umpires to a drink on a warm summer’s evening.

The referee engages in small talk with a young fellow-customer at the counter. “Were you at the hurling match earlier?,” he asks. “Was I at it?,” his new-found acquaintance replies, “sure you sent me off in it!” Incidentally, far from launching a verbal or physical attack on the innocent questioner, the dismissed player left the bar counter by smugly informing his red-carder, “Sure it was all for luck, as I wanted some excuse to play in the Boston this summer!”

The unfortunate whistler in question was Westmeath’s very own James McGrath, who became the centre of Gaelic games attention last month by sensationally opting out of inter-county refereeing, having felt very aggrieved at being totally ignored in the team of officials appointed for the Liam McCarthy Cup showdown between Limerick and Galway. 

And while the Turin man is delighted to recall the above and other ‘funny incidents’ during his 14-year period at the top of his stressful second profession, he has some strong thoughts on various aspects of the ‘small ball’ game which reached new heights this year.

It is only a matter of weeks since James’ chat on the RTÉ News with Marty Morrissey in Tyrrellspass went viral in the lead-up to the blue riband event in the hurling calendar. Has he any regrets?

“At the minute, I would say no regrets, but I’m reflecting on the decision I made. I suppose a lot of people would ask, ‘did I make it hastily?’, but I had been happy with my performance in the All-Ireland quarter-final (between the champions-elect from the Treaty County and age-old rivals Kilkenny), as were my umpires, and I thought I would probably get the final. 

“I was quietly confident, but I always cover the worst case scenario. I thought that if I got stand-by ref, then maybe I would give it another lash next year. But if I don’t get anything, well that’s it," he said.

“Having said all that, I was up at a concert in Belfast in recent weeks and I got poignant when I thought back that my first championship game had been there (see complete list below). They love their hurling in Antrim, Casement Park was a fine venue and hopefully we’ll see it open again as we always got great welcome there. 

“Maybe next spring I will miss it. But I won’t know that until the time comes.”

James is fulsome in his praise of the role that the late Adrian Murray played in his distinguished refereeing career: “Adrian, Lord rest him, got me into refereeing at underage level, and I kind of inherited his umpires. Tom McNicholas, Johnny Fitzpatrick, David Hennessy and David Clune were my mainstays, but I have also been indebted to others such as Alan Coyne, Paul Reville, and the Weldons (Jimmy and Johnny). I think, at most, I had to overrule them twice. 

“As a team of umpires, they are one of the best in the country. There is great amount of trust between us and I could get on with doing what I had to do.”

James’ career has coincided with the introduction of Hawkeye. “The new technology is no reflection of whether an umpire is good or bad,” James opines, “and I think it has been a positive development. We were categorically assured at the briefing when it was launched that ‘it would not be wrong’ when I asked that specific question, but the infamous incident with Limerick minors in 2013 saw the umpires being hung out to dry.”

However, to use Pat McEnaney’s phrase, ‘any tool in the box that helps referees is welcome’, albeit it can’t adjudicate on goals and a goal is worth three points.” All Gaels are aware that this year’s Munster round robin game between Waterford and Tipperary was particularly controversial in this regard.

Has refereeing hurling changed during James’ time at the top? “The game has probably gone faster. Fitness levels of players are at an optimum, even compared with ten years ago, and there are more scores. 

“Refs run somewhere between eight and ten kilometres per inter-county match, but a lot of it comes down to your reading of the game,” he reflects. 

“Indeed, if given carte blanche on tidying up some rules as they stand, James says that “a lot of us might like to look at the ‘square ball’ rule again which can be contentious, especially with a high ball coming in. 

Also, the categorising of what is ‘striking with the hurley with minimal force’ and ‘careless use of the hurley’, where the card colours differ for the two offences. Perhaps a sin bin could be tried out for a strike deemed to ‘less than minimal force’?

“A clear red card can be easier to spot in hurling than an off-the-ball incident. Breaches of the ‘helmet rule’ can be difficult to spot, while ‘throw balls’ are now rampant even in underage games and it is easy to miss them, as lads try and get you on your blind side. Yes, linesmen might spot them, but they can’t call technical fouls. 

“Everybody wants to see the game flow but you need to apply the rules,” he adds.

 

‘The demands on refs are huge’
“From experience I attained judgement; from poor judgement I attained experience.”

This mantra from legendary ice hockey referee, Kerry Fraser, has served James McGrath well over the years. Refereeing Gaelic games, certainly at an elite level, has become more and more pressurised in recent years.

James concurs with the oft-quoted theory that the Sunday Game panellists have, deliberately or otherwise, instigated a “trial by television” for big match officials. “I think it has gone too far, albeit this year was not too bad,” the secondary school teacher opines, “and when the game is over, it’s not over, as you are wondering what will be said that night on RTÉ. An awful lot of the general public, who mightn’t even go to a game, swear by what panellists say on it. In recent years, I fear that the powers-that-be might be trying to ref games from the committee room.

“It is very easy to look back at clips in slow motion. However, a soccer-style VAR in hurling would be nonsensical in holding up the play and, while people moan about Hawkeye, it has certainly been a positive development. It might be worth the GAA’s while to experiment with having controversial decisions clarified on the night of a game through a spokesperson. Also, some Gaels feel that the use of an open microphone on the ref - like rugby - could be tried out.”

Like many officials in a range of sports, James concedes that he “fell into reffing by accident, but nowadays I feel there are not huge incentives for a young fellow starting out. Matches like midweek colleges fixtures and the like can be tough to fit in, with work commitments and organising umpires etc. There is a lot of pressure on young refs. I have been very fortunate to have got trips to places such as New York, Shanghai and Singapore, but there are very few perks for club referees.”

James is a proud Westmeath man and, in addition to bringing the Lake County into the national spotlight by his excellent refereeing over the years, he has helped out in coaching and mentoring underage teams at school (he taught in Athlone CC prior to moving to its Castlepollard equivalent) and county level.

He shares the frustrations of his fellow-countymen that maroon and white-clad teams have failed to shake off the dreaded ‘weaker county’ tag. He greatly admires hurlers from similarly unsuccessful counties whom he has refereed, such as Antrim, Down and Derry, and he takes time to highlight the excellent hurling ability of one of the country’s best-known footballers, Mayo’s Keith Higgins.

He is of the opinion that the reduction of the minor age bracket to U17 “is good for player wellbeing”, adding that “young lads who are active and play sport often get the best academic results. It is important for youngsters to try to get a balance, and it is certainly hard for dual players. Club fixtures still need sorting out and I would be totally against the All-Ireland finals being played earlier than their traditional September dates in the GAA calendar.”

A few quickfire questions yielded these answers:

Most dramatic finish?
The All-Ireland senior club semi-final in 2007 which finished Clarinbridge 3-22 (31 pts) De La Salle 1-27 (30 pts), after extra-time in Thurles (“a cracking game of hurling”).

Most memorable game?
Kilkenny and Limerick in the 2014 All-Ireland semi-final in Croke Park (“in the rain with a bit of lightning thrown in”).

Most free-flowing and high-scoring contest?
Clare vs Cork in the 2013 All-Ireland final replay.

Most one-sided fixture?
The 2009 club final between Portumna and De La Salle (“we were nearly late for it as our normal route to Croke Park was blocked by a garda sergeant on duty”).

Toughest and most uncompromising match?
Limerick v. Kilkenny in this year’s All-Ireland quarter-final (“it might have ended my career for good measure!”).

Favourite venue?
Nowlan Park in Kilkenny (“best welcome and refreshments for us, with the same local faces in the same places”). “Thurles is a nice venue also,” James adds, leading him to recount an amusing story about one of Westmeath hurling’s most popular characters, Johnny Weldon. 

“I had some great days with all my umpires, including Johnny. In the lead-up to the All-Ireland U21 final in 2010 between Tipperary and Galway it was hard for me to decide which four umpires I would bring. One slot was between David (Hennessy) and Johnny. I thought an uncle/nephew compromise might be reached and they would do one half each, so I arranged two cars. When we got to Portlaoise for a cup of tea, Johnny announced, ‘I’m not going any further’! But he mellowed and ended up enjoying what was a one-sided game in Semple Stadium.”

James also reflects fondly on other funny incidents, often weather-related, e.g.: “Johnny Fitzpatrick fell in frost and ice in Keady, while at a Railway Cup match in Ballyshannon, I fell over a player who had gone down to tie his bootlaces and all the kids who were there - with the GAA promoting the inter-pros - started chanting about the ref!”

James has officiated in 31 counties – Kerry being the exception – and he admires the many ground developments he has witnessed in all four provinces, albeit wondering if all of them are necessary given how few full houses there are outside of Croke Park. He describes TEG Cusack Park as “a nice compact ground, but it might need a facelift”.

And finally, “any unfulfilled ambition?” He responds: “I would have liked to officiate in the new Páirc Uí Chaoimh.” Who knows if the hurling gods may yet have a plan for James McGrath to referee by the banks of the Lee?