C OāNeill lucky to keep his place. He coughed up 5 very poor turnovers against Cork that resulted in 0-04. He really needs to tighten up his play.
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Flaherty is going to get someone killed with his reffing soon. Hypothetically speaking, is there any recourse for teams if a ref just invents a new rule & applies it in a match?
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Iād imagine heād have to make some reference to it in his match report before youād have an angle to challenge the match result
Barry Murphy injured or dropped of the panel?
What did he do now?? I can except a fella being bad and there being no badness in him but Flaherty is brutal with an attitude to go with it.
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Black card & penalty in a club game. Which wasnāt even inside the 21 (or D).
Reffing is a really difficult job, I have a lot of sympathy for them. And theyāll miss fouls, theyāll blow for ones that arenāt fouls, theyāll miss wides & scores at that times.
But I feel like you need a cool head and heās way too confrontational right from the first whistle.
And like, you really should know the rules. Iād forgive most other things. He is by far and away the worst ref in Limerick.
He has a bit of competition!
As you say, itās a very difficult job. Once a lad has a good manner with players, and is genuinely trying to do his best then you canāt have any complaints.
I think the top refs in the county - Stapleton, Mike Sexton, Dave Deady, Hayes, even Johnny at club level - are all decent and communicate with players and thereās a bit of respect both ways in that scenario. Thereāll be no bollocks acting generally.
Thereās less than a handful I actively dread seeing appointed to our club matches. You know anything could happen which is never a good place.
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Weāve got some fine refs in Limerick, in fairness.
And I donāt even mind a few of the less good refs who at least have a decent attitude.
There are a few outliers though: KF, JPK, MBā¦ You just donāt know what theyāre going to do.
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JPK has to be the worst. Cannot hold his head and liable to do absolutely anything.
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McEneaney used to praised for it
Spike got rid of him last year, donāt know if heās back this year.
He is
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Was at a junior B match or u21 match in Mick Neville a few years back. Miserable night in the middle of winter.
It was knockout and inevitably came down to the last couple of mins. It was either level or a point in it. Anyway the bould Mike Mann was reffing it. Game was in the melting point and there was an absolute blatant line ball to us. Clear as day to anyone in attendance. The crowd start going buck ape. āffs, open your eyes etc.ā
There was no lineman obviously, only two lads from either club holding the flag. The bould Mike saunters over, winks at the irate crowd and goes āIād a great view of it from 50 yards away, weāll stick with my decision.ā
You could only laugh. 
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Martin Doherty is pretty diabolical too
Is he gone from the panel now? He did a premier intermediate or senior B match in the last year or two and sent off five or six.
Just doesnāt have the calm head needed. Gas seeing him engaging in shouting matches with players in the middle of a match!
I donāt mind Doherty; at least heās not a prick.
Although I havenāt seen him much recently.
I heard before that he had 1 season where he sent off a player in every single adult game he reffed, and a fair amount of underage games too
He more or less eliminated Castletown Ballyagran from Championship last year. Sent off 2 of their best players before throw in over something he perceived was said. I think thatās when he got cancelled by Spike cc @manbehindthewire
There was something else last year too with him before that incident but canāt recall now
Martin is a grand fella actually. Just not a great ref is all, but as you said, itās not because of any bad mindedness or attitude
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Deady, Hayes, Moloney (good to see newer refs tbf), Johnny (although he is very whistle-happy, at least heās consistent), Donnacha, OāHalloran, Sexton, Stapleton are probably the top tier of refs and tend to get the biggest matches.
I wouldnāt mind OāDriscoll either. Lyons is fine. Mike Flannery is okay. I donāt mind Doherty as Iāve said.
Then you have a few older refs who arenāt bad-minded but really struggle with the pace these days and I donāt know if they were ever great: Patsy, Phelan, etc.
Timmy is a better football ref imo, I think heās very inconsistent with his tackling calls in hurling.
I think Joe Mulcahy is a poor ref. We get the Careys & Kevin OāBrien from the Well in junior matches, theyāre fine tbf. Mike Woulfe aswell. Iād have less of an issue with them in Championship than Mulcahy, the Manns, as well as the ones weāve mentioned above.
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Ah now Wolfie is not a good ref.
MB was good fun tonight. Spots the full back holding the forward with the ball on the 65 a few times and sprints in to give the free.