Anthony Daly's Take On Ref Mic Brilliance Shows Why The Public Needs It

The call for GAA referees to be mic'd up has grown and Clare hurling legend Anthony Daly is certainly on-board after last weekend's epic Munster Championship action.

A new measure this season allows broadcasters such as Daly - who was on analysis duty for RTÉ - to hear the referee's communications with players mid-game.

Referee Liam Gordon had the tough task of marshalling a hectic contest between Clare and Cork in Ennis, in what was a heated affair.

Viewers however, remain unable to hear what officials tell players after major calls mid-game, a frustration given the steps taken in rugby and more recently, League Cup soccer, to make the viewing experience more immersive.

Referee David Coldrick was famously mic'd up for the 2015 All-Ireland SFC final between Dublin and Kerry but that was short-lived.

Some controversy from a documentary in the fall-out of that game prompted cause for debate, as the mic appeared to pick up Kerry's Kieran Donaghy alleging an eye couge from Philly McMahon.

Donaghy had subsequently insisted that he did not make such an allegation, however the released audio would put him back under the microscope at the time.

The re-introduction of ref mic's had been proposed ahead of the current Gaelic football season however, and was trialed during the inter-provincial football matches - which tested some of the FRC's new rule proposals - in October.

Armagh's Aidan Forker welcomed the re-introduction of the microphones at the time and shared his view that referees should become professional.

The clamour in hurling meanwhile, is also growing and Anthony Daly has given an insight into why it should be done in the future.

Speaking on The Examiner's Dalo's Hurling Show podcast, which you can listen to in full as a subscriber here, Daly gave his unique perspective on the matter.

We also had the ref and the linesmen in our ear... it was brilliant.

"Credit to Liam Gordon, there wasn’t a player on the pitch he didn’t know their first name. (He) called everyone by their first name. When Ian Galvin came on and Rob/Eoin Downey got the yellow with him, he said: ‘Ian, you came on and acted the maggot.' - and then he says, 'Eoin, you acted the maggot straight away. You’re both getting yellows, lads."

"I think players love it... he said to Davy Mc (David McInerney, who was on a yellow) ‘you’re close now, kid.'

’When he got them together, the two captains, Robert and Tony, he said ‘you’re going to be watched here from every angle. If you get away with it, it’ll just mean it wasn’t seen.’"

The Munster Championship as a whole threw up typically absorbing entertainment, with Clare vs Cork and Tipperary vs Limerick proving to be two thrillers.

The officiating in both matches earned plaudits too, referee Liam Gordon earning the praise of Dónal Óg Cusack after the match.

Meanwhile, a moment of sharp officiating from Thomas Walsh allowed Tipp the chance to level things up at the death at Semple Stadium.

Limerick's Will O'Donoghue came under pressure and threw the ball as opposed to executing a hand-pass, something which has gone unnoticed in the past.

However, Walsh was privvy to the mishap and Tipp's pressure earned them the right to leave with a point - as they did in another thriller.