Clare kept their hopes of a third consecutive Munster Senior Hurling Championship final appearance alive albeit in controversial circumstances against a spirited Waterford on Sunday.
The typically thrilling competition threw up another cracker of a match, with Clare's Mark Rodgers securing a late single-point victory after the awarding of a 65' in their favour.
The umpire found himself in an unenviable position when a scramble for possession saw the ball cross the white line.
While replays would suggest that the umpire made the right decision, there has been a strong backlash to the call with some supporters feeling the decision should have went the other way.
There were further complaints raised regarding Rodgers' placement of the ball, with Joe Canning suggesting Waterford were irate that the ball was ahead of the 65' yard line.
‘The umpire got it 100% right…We don’t want to see these scenes’ - @DonalOgC and @Neilmcmanus88 says people need to take responsibility for the ‘childish behaviour’ at the end of Clare v Waterford game pic.twitter.com/aRQCCQ4gjN
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) May 19, 2024
John Mullane calls for more referees in GAA matches
Waterford legend John Mullane had been on commentary duty for RTE Radio 1 at the fixture in Ennis and witnessed the controversy first-hand.
Speaking on The Throw-In Hurling Podcast, a vexed Mullane stressed the radical change he would like to see to make things easier for match officials when there is so much on the line.
There is too much at stake," Mullane said.
"I listened to (referee) Fergal Horgan on a podcast for Tipperary FM. He said when he goes to the matches he'd want to have two referees - one behind one goal and one referee behind the other goal - and I think it is coming down to that now.
"There is so much at stake. These players are putting their life on hold for eight or nine months a year and I think they deserve the best and that everything is put in place for them.
"These mistakes are so costly when the margins are so small now that they are having a major effect on results. Something has to give.
"What is going to give is that some referees are going to have to become umpires."
Davy Fitzgerald cut an irate figure after the game, making his way onto the field to berate the officials after the final whistle was blown.
Tensions run high at the finish in Ennis - Clare squeeze home courtesy of a late contested 65
📺 Watch it here - https://t.co/WMGbng7nJR
📱 Or follow it here - https://t.co/mSprCDje76 pic.twitter.com/nVSBklk885— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) May 19, 2024
Mullane believed Fitzgerald's frustration was not with the awarding of the 65' call, but instead the angle of Rodgers' placement of the ball ahead of the winning shot.
That is what angered the likes of Peter Queally, Stephen Bennett and Davy Fitzgerald and you can see why they were so angry," Mullane stated.
"Instead of it possibly being 60/40 against Mark Rodgers putting the ball over the bar, it became a 60/40 shot on him putting the ball straight over the bar."
The debate is sure to continue on ahead of a crucial weekend of action with Waterford chasing a result against Limerick and Clare taking on a struggling Tipperary.
