Brogan: Timekeeping needs to be clarified
Alan Brogan feels there is too much uncertainty about the amount of additional time being provided by referees.
The 2011 footballer of the year believes Ciarán Branagan was right to play nine minutes extra, three on top of the announced “at least six minutes”, in last Saturday week’s Dublin-Monaghan game where Davy Byrne earned the All-Ireland champions a draw with a last-gasp point.
However, that same weekend Andy McEntee was angered when there was no added on time for stoppages after the signalled injury time as his Meath team went down to Mayo.
Brogan wants to see consistency shown when it comes to time-keeping. “I think it is a bit of a grey area, to be honest,” he said.
“Having watched the Monaghan match last week, I thought the referee was right to add on the time because of the stoppages.
Then listening to Pat McEnaney, he said that it has to be a break in play to stop the clock. If a fella is slow in taking a free, that’s not a break in play so, technically, that is not time that has to be added on.
“It is a tricky area and maybe the stop-clock would help, but then the problem with the stop clock is how you implement further down the line, with club matches and stuff. But maybe it is something that needs to be looked at a bit deeper.
“It does seem to be a factor in a lot of games now. And managers and players just want a bit of consistency about it, so that is the key to it.”
Brogan expects his St Oliver Plunketts-Eoghan Ruadh clubmate, Seán Bugler, to push on in the Dublin set-up this year. “From what I’ve seen he looks the real deal. I fully expect him to go on and have a great Dublin career.”
