Canavan: GAA would need to be wary of TMO introduction

Peter Canavan says the GAA would want to be very wary about the potential introduction of a Television Match Official (TMO) for football and hurling.

A workgroup set up by GAA president Larry McCarthy at Congress 2023 presented a preliminary report on the use of a TMO in Gaelic games at the weekend.

That will now be given to Central Council for feedback before the report is finalised.

Speaking on Allianz League Sunday, two-time All-Ireland winner with Tyrone Peter Canavan outlined his concerns over what the possible introduction of such technology could have on both codes.

Canavan used examples from this weekend's league matches to suggest that if the technology were in place, referee Mark McNally may have changed his mind in relation to sending Tyrone’s Conn Kilpatrick off against Roscommon.

Likewise in Tralee, in a one-point defeat to Derry, Kerry full-back Jason Foley was penalised for touching the ball on the ground when he appeared to make contact as it bounced off the turf.

"Does the TMO inform the referee to come over and look at the screen?" he asked.

"You see the controversy that VAR has brought to the Premier League, and they are doing it for the right reasons to get the correct decisions, but they have made a hames of the game in trying to do so, much to the frustration of players and supporters.

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"The GAA would need to be very reluctant that we don’t go down that path."

The GAA brought in HawkEye technology back in 2013 to help avoid mistakes involving the