Stopping play for injured players

blue note

I was going to post this up anyway, but it was actually highlighted on the Sunday Game last night as well.

In the Waterford v Offaly match, Jamie Nagle was down injured and play was allowed to continue while he was receiving treatment. His man (or someone in his position at least) scored a point while he was being treated. We were very annoyed in Waterford at what we thought was a terrible decision by the ref.

However, yesterday it seemed that this is a conscious decision by the refs to continue play. The one I was most annoyed by was the one highlighted by the Sunday Game. Wexford were coming back and one of their men went down injured. It's in the last few minutes of the game and they're losing, so he's hardly trying to run down the clock! He had to be helped off the pitch and then stretchered off once they got him to the sideline. Clare scored two points before a sub could be brought on to replace him.

In the Waterford v Kilkenny match, Noel Connors was receiving treatment at one point in extra time and his man scored while he was with the physio. Martin O'Neill was helped off by two people while play was continuing instead of letting us get him off and replace him. I saw JJ Delaney receiving treatment while play was continuing, although unfortunately we didn't get any ball down there at the time.

My opinions on it - it's largely the players fault. Too often we've heard teams commended for being "cute"; going down to break a teams momentum or to run down the clock. That enraged me and I used to cry out for play to resume. But now we have the opposite where play isn't being stopped where it clearly should.

Maybe refs need to just use more common sense in it. If a player doesn't have a reason to go down injured, then he probably is actually injured and play should be stopped.

Corkbah

blue note wrote: »

I was going to post this up anyway, but it was actually highlighted on the Sunday Game last night as well.

In the Waterford v Offaly match, Jamie Nagle was down injured and play was allowed to continue while he was receiving treatment. His man (or someone in his position at least) scored a point while he was being treated. We were very annoyed in Waterford at what we thought was a terrible decision by the ref.

However, yesterday it seemed that this is a conscious decision by the refs to continue play. The one I was most annoyed by was the one highlighted by the Sunday Game. Wexford were coming back and one of their men went down injured. It's in the last few minutes of the game and they're losing, so he's hardly trying to run down the clock! He had to be helped off the pitch and then stretchered off once they got him to the sideline. Clare scored two points before a sub could be brought on to replace him.

In the Waterford v Kilkenny match, Noel Connors was receiving treatment at one point in extra time and his man scored while he was with the physio. Martin O'Neill was helped off by two people while play was continuing instead of letting us get him off and replace him. I saw JJ Delaney receiving treatment while play was continuing, although unfortunately we didn't get any ball down there at the time.

My opinions on it - it's largely the players fault. Too often we've heard teams commended for being "cute"; going down to break a teams momentum or to run down the clock. That enraged me and I used to cry out for play to resume. But now we have the opposite where play isn't being stopped where it clearly should.

Maybe refs need to just use more common sense in it. If a player doesn't have a reason to go down injured, then he probably is actually injured and play should be stopped.

and I suppose the ref is going to ask a player is he hurt or just time wasting or delaying so other teams momentum is lost..... when players play the game without cheating the ref can stop for every injury - until then ...play away and let the player get attended to while play is up the other end (like rugby) .

InchicoreDude

blue note wrote: »

I was going to post this up anyway, but it was actually highlighted on the Sunday Game last night as well.

In the Waterford v Offaly match, Jamie Nagle was down injured and play was allowed to continue while he was receiving treatment. His man (or someone in his position at least) scored a point while he was being treated. We were very annoyed in Waterford at what we thought was a terrible decision by the ref.

However, yesterday it seemed that this is a conscious decision by the refs to continue play. The one I was most annoyed by was the one highlighted by the Sunday Game. Wexford were coming back and one of their men went down injured. It's in the last few minutes of the game and they're losing, so he's hardly trying to run down the clock! He had to be helped off the pitch and then stretchered off once they got him to the sideline. Clare scored two points before a sub could be brought on to replace him.

In the Waterford v Kilkenny match, Noel Connors was receiving treatment at one point in extra time and his man scored while he was with the physio. Martin O'Neill was helped off by two people while play was continuing instead of letting us get him off and replace him. I saw JJ Delaney receiving treatment while play was continuing, although unfortunately we didn't get any ball down there at the time.

My opinions on it - it's largely the players fault. Too often we've heard teams commended for being "cute"; going down to break a teams momentum or to run down the clock. That enraged me and I used to cry out for play to resume. But now we have the opposite where play isn't being stopped where it clearly should.

Maybe refs need to just use more common sense in it. If a player doesn't have a reason to go down injured, then he probably is actually injured and play should be stopped.

There are already too many stoppages in the game. With a head injury, play should be stopped immediately (or an injury where it is obviously a serious one). Otherwise, I see no need to stop the play. You see injured players being treated in rugby while play is going on as well.

keane2097

Pat McEnaney issued an instruction to the refs at the start of the year to not stop the play for injuries unless they appeared serious. It's definitely a good thing, the ball is in play little enough without calling a halt to it everytime someone wants the rub of a sponge.

premierstone

Fully agree with the GAA's stance on this, games were been ruined by stopages and unless it is a head injury the game should continue.

Tom Joad

Agree with the GAA on this and unless its a head injury the game should go on. Although I did see one in the Cavan Fermanagh match where a Fermanagh player threw himself to the ground as if hit with a sledgehammer and lay on the ball - even though the ref told him to get up he couldn't keep the game going because the lad was lying on the ball.

This whole issue is a double edged sword. The pundits made a great case for player welfare last night but on the other hand do you run the risk of lads cynically exaggerating their injuries just to run down the clock?

antoobrien

blue note wrote: »

However, yesterday it seemed that this is a conscious decision by the refs to continue play. The one I was most annoyed by was the one highlighted by the Sunday Game. Wexford were coming back and one of their men went down injured. It's in the last few minutes of the game and they're losing, so he's hardly trying to run down the clock! He had to be helped off the pitch and then stretchered off once they got him to the sideline.

While I agree with you, it's important to note that he was not stopped from getting treatment, the physio/doctor was allowed onto the pitch to treat the player.

In cases like this, the play should be allowed to continue until the ball goes dead, then stop for treatment or allow a sub to be made.

More serious than that to my mind was the other incident highlighted by the Sunday game where a team official was prevented from giving a player water. That was scandalous, whatever the rules a bit of common sense needs to be applied when games are being played in conditions like those we have seen this year.

Martin567

Deleted User wrote: »

This whole issue is a double edged sword. The pundits made a great case for player welfare last night but on the other hand do you run the risk of lads cynically exaggerating their injuries just to run down the clock?

Perhaps but the refs must surely be able to use a bit of common sense. There was no reason for the Wexford player to be trying to run down the clock so his injury had to be genuine.

rockonollie

Rule is simple......refs stop play immediately for head or very serious injuries....otherwise play continues until the ball goes out.

Rule has to stay that way or else we will start having situations where players go down to stop play intentionally.

ProudDUB

rockonollie wrote: »

Rule is simple......refs stop play immediately for head or very serious injuries....otherwise play continues until the ball goes out.

Rule has to stay that way or else we will start having situations where players go down to stop play intentionally.

"start" having situations where players go down? It's been happening for a long time now. You should have been at the AI semi last year. The Mayo players were all dropping like flies during the last 10 mins of the game. And they are far from being the only county to do that.

rockonollie

ProudDUB wrote: »

"start" having situations where players go down? It's been happening for a long time now. You should have been at the AI semi last year. The Mayo players were all dropping like flies during the last 10 mins of the game. And they are far from being the only county to do that.

My apologies.....I should have said that the refs would have to start giving in to the players that use that tactic.

ProudDUB

They already are imo. It's frustrating to see a player hit the floor ( especially when no one is around him) in a key part of the pitch, and the doctor and physios run on straight away, without so much as a by your leave from the ref. Play has to stop until they are all done, and quite often one team is just acting the mick to slow down play. I don't think that the physios should be allowed on until the ref has given them the all clear to do. Experienced refs should be able to tell when a player is genuinely in need of medical treatment, and when they are just taking the piss in the dying minutes of a key championship game.

Corkbah

Martin567 wrote: »

Perhaps but the refs must surely be able to use a bit of common sense. There was no reason for the Wexford player to be trying to run down the clock so his injury had to be genuine.

but why goto ground ...why not get yourself off the pitch ?

Corkbah

Corkbah wrote: »

but why goto ground ...why not get yourself off the pitch ?

In the Wexford man's case on Saturday it looked a possible cruciate injury so he couldnt but its really just that one incident so far that you could put a case for.

That water incident was scandalous though. Utterly scandalous. It wouldnt have taken a few seconds to give him that water and Kirwan wasted more time trying to stop what is essentially a basic human right

rockonollie

I don't think Kirwan saw it as a time issue.....it was a player that he was trying to talk to and discipline that was paying more attention to the maor uisce than the ref.

Still a stupid move by Kirwan though.