James Mahon was controversially sent off in Offaly's NHL Division One loss to Waterford in Walsh Park at the weekend, leading to more conjecture surrounding head high tackles in hurling.
Red cards in hurling have been at the top of the agenda for two weeks now, with seven players having been sent off over the previous weekend, including four in the Kilkenny-Tipperary match.
Cork's Cormac O'Brien had his red card overturned on appeal and on the back of all of the drama, Jackie Tyrrell feels video assistants should be brought into hurling to help referees.
Offaly supporters were up-in-arms over Mahon's dismissal on Saturday just as Kilkenny supporters were with Michael Carey's the previous weekend. Vice-versa Tipperary with Alan Tynan.
Tyrrell thinks 'video assistance' is the answer, particularly given the recent clamp-down on head-high challenges.
'I think we're now at a juncture where referees need more help. Video assistance has to be spoken about and looked at'
The panel argue the case for video referees after another pivotal red card was handed out in the Waterford-Offaly 1B clash in Walsh Park pic.twitter.com/qfKQAg2Nng
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"Video assistance has to be spoken about and looked at," the former Kilkenny player said on The Sunday Game.
"I know it will slow down the game but I'd rather be here saying they got those two or three decisions right and the game was refereed the right way.
"Referees need more help, and it's hard in real time to make those calls.
"Fellas are so powerful, so when lads take a hit, their head jolts back and you don't actually know if the head is into the shoulder or the head," he added.
James Mahon of Offaly is shown a red card by referee Johnny Murphy during the Allianz Hurling League Division 1B match between Waterford and Offaly at Walsh Park in Waterford. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Tyrrell felt Mahon was unlucky to be sent off for Offaly, but he also felt Brian Duignan should have got his marching orders earlier in the game.
"Brian Duignan goes in quite high and catches Stephen Bennett on the side of the head. For me, that was a red card, considering what we've seen."
"Mahon's one for me is just not a red card. It was a shoulder into the chest, nowhere near the head at all, a yellow card, no red card."
"These are big decisions. This guy is looking at potentially missing a league final now. I think we're now at a juncture that if we're looking at these head-high tackles, referees need more help."
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