It’s just been announced that Meath’s David Coldrick will be the ref for our All-Ireland semi-final with Kerry on Sunday week (throw-in 3.30pm). I don’t think we can have any qualms with that: Coldrick is a sensible individual and is, by some distance, the best ref in the game at the minute. I could be wrong but I don’t think he’s ever reffed a championship game that we’ve been involved in before now. It could be a coincidence but, from what I can see, the last time we had him (so to speak) for a competitive fixture was our league match with Kerry down in Tralee in March last year. We won that day too.
The other announcement made today concerns the playing strips for Sunday week where it’s been decided that Kerry will wear the same blue get-up that they sported for the Limerick match whereas our lads will take the filed in the predominantly red shirt that we last wore that almost fateful day over in Ruislip. I’m far from convinced, I have to say, about the wisdom of taking on the Kerrymen in an All-Ireland semi-final wearing mainly red but then again the fact that they won’t be in their traditional green and gold should mean that the old shaking the jerseys trick won’t work the next day either.
We had some good days in red too, not really worried about the jersey issue, lets just hope Coldrick doesnt let his fellow countymens distaste for us spill over into his refereeing !
When we played them in 1981, I think that we wore white and they wore blue. Not that it did us any good!
Can’t take credit for this as I saw it on the gaaboard website, but maybe wearing a predominantly red jersey might not be such a bad thing??
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/wear/7289486.stm
Derry 2007?
He was in charge of the 2008 Connacht final against Galway.
Both teams should be allowed to wear their usual colours. Who is watching on a black and white tv these days?. There is no real clash with the jerseys. In the 97 final i think both teams played in their usual colours and there was not a problem. Down had to wear a hideous strip in the final last year. The way its going now, the sight of the lovely Mayo colours on the hallowed turf of Croke Park will go from rare to extinct. County boards should stand up to the GAA.
Saw Coldrick ref a Senior Club Championship Match in Pairc Tailteann in Navan last Sunday….some of the decisions he made were bizarre to put it mildly….
Dont think Coldrick has done us any harm. Pretty sure he refereed the 06 Connacht final as well and if anything nudged us over the line that particular day. He was the only ref i ever saw to pull PJ for drawing fouls by holding onto the defender and he also pulled him for stealing 10 yards on his run up to a free!
Thanks for setting me straight, lads, on our previous matches where we had David Coldrick as ref. I should have remembered the 2007 and 2008 games as I was at both of them. I checked 2006 as well, Ted, and it was, in fact, Paddy Russell who was in charge of that one.
Re the colours the teams will be wearing the next day, Jim, I don’t agree that both team should wear their usual strips. I know us colour blind people may be in the minority but I find it very difficult to see who is playing for whom if you have two teams wearing predominantly green jerseys!
well i think for fellas with red/green colour blindness ( which i believe is the most common) its irrelevant which jersey mayo wear !
Stand correct WJ….did he do the 04 Semi V Galway I wonder? I just have this memory of him doing a big galway game on a nice hot summer day in Mchale park and thinking id have him again
Hi Ted – you’re right, he was the ref for the 2004 semi (the Western’s report on the game is here). I didn’t realise he was on the circuit as long ago as that.
Re Ref the fact that so many games have been done by same Ref speaks for itself he mustn’t have done badly . A good referee is mainly inconspicuous
I hope Mayo are wearing red,it doesn’t really matter as long as we win the game,I would love to see Ciaran McDonald back in the Mayo squad for the game against Kerry,he’s the most naturally gifted footballer in the county,he’s still super fit,he destoyed Westport in a game a few week ago,he’s 35,age doesn’t matter if you’re good enough,Kerry would hate to see Ciaran Mc on the bench because they know his capabilities,he’s as good as Colm Cooper and Cooper is unreal,Ciaran has charisma and it would give the Mayo supporters a hugh lift to see him warming up,we woulld take the roof off Croke Park,Mickey Harte brought back Stephen O’Niell because he knew what he brings to the team,with Ciaran in the squad,we can beat Kerry,without him,I’m not sure but I still hope we do,this is just my opinion,I played soccer for Westport United at all levels and I captained the Garda soccer team in Templemore,I also love Gaelic Football and Hurling,the best of luck to all the Mayo squad and management team,may God Bless them in the 1/2 Final….
on the contrary Mike, nothing would please Jack O’Connor more than the return of Ciaran Mac as it would indicate that JamesH had taken leave of his senses. Why upset a squad with a real feel good factor with the return of a man who never really fitted into a team- ha had to play the game his own way. Coldrick can be fussy enough as a ref which should be good for Mayo- he should be wise to some of Kerry’s more cynical -sorry- experienced players.
I met Alan Freeman,Ger Cafferky,Aiden O’Shea and Enda Varley in Westport this evening and yer probably right,you should’nt change a winning team,one man never won a game on his own except for Diego Armonda Maradona,he almost won a world cup on his own,1986 in Mexico…
God WJ, thanks for your archive section. I was about to unload on poor Coldrick thinking he was the guy who gave Kerry a soft penalty when we played Kerry in Castlebar this year in the league. I checked on your site and found out it was …Maurice Deegan. Sorry David…for now at least..
Back from the west where a million gallons of rain landed in Belmullet yesterday, driving me into a pub where sadly I spent most of the day and woke with an animal of a headache this morning.