05-05-2025
GAA officials told to tweak two point rule or else face 'significant challenges'
Dubs legend Ciaran Whelan has called on the GAA's top brass to tweak one of their new rules and avert Championship chaos.
Speaking on The Sunday Game, Whelo praised the new rules for enhancing the quality of Championship matches, saying: 'The quality of the Mayo-Galway game is a credit to the new rules.'
But one of those new rules caused controversy yesterday.
With the score at 1-13 apiece, Ryan O'Donoghue's effort for Mayo cleared the crossbar before being touched by Galway keeper, Connor Gleeson.
Read more: Colm Boyle column: Ref decision to deny Mayo a two-pointer was the wrong call - it cost us
It should have been a two-pointer but because the officials considered Gleeson's intervention to have occurred before it cleared the crossbar, it was ruled as one point, denying Mayo the lead for the first time in the game.
They ended up losing by two points.
Afterwards Whelan said: 'That two point call was hugely important.
'This could be a significant issue with the new rules down the line.
'Games could be decided by one point and they could be won and lost with a call like this, where the shot is from over the line, or when a player gets a finger tip to it.
'It is a delicate one and it could lead to significant challenges down the line.
'There are pros and cons to the two pointer and that is one of the weaknesses.'
Mayo legend Cora Staunton added: 'You don't want an All-Ireland semi-final or final to be decided on a call like that where they are unsure if the goalie touched the ball (after) it went over the bar.'
