By Riona Williams
With 13 second of normal time left in the 2014 All Ireland Hurling Final the referee awarded a scorable free shot to Tipperary. The situation was extremely important as were Tipperary to convert the score it would put them a point up. The pressure on the umpire was immense as his decision would decide the whole match. The fact it was a free shot created a pause between the awarding of the free and the taking of the shot. This gave the umpire time to consider what to do if there was any doubt. Over one minute the Tipperary player took the shot. At this stage there was only a handful of seconds left in the game.
When the free was taken, the sliotar travelled towards the post at considerable speed. From the umpire's position, deciding whether it had passed inside or outside the post was extremely difficult. This was where Hawkeye became important. Rather than relying entirely on what they could see, the umpire decided to send the decision to Hawkeye. The break in play allowed the umpire to realise the significance of the free and instead of potentially making the wrong decision when he was not entirely certain he knew he had to send it to Hawkeye.
If the umpire had correctly signalled wide without using Hawkeye, the immediate consequence would have been that the scores remained level. The game would have then gone to a replay, as happened after Hawkeye confirmed that the shot was wide. In this situation the umpire would have been correct, and there would have been no need for further intervention. However, from the umpire's perspective, the difficulty was that they could not be completely certain that the sliotar had gone wide. The fact that the correct decision was ultimately wide does not mean that the umpire could have known this with confidence at the time.
The more demanding situation arises if the umpire had incorrectly signalled a point. Because the match was being played under a system in which Hawkeye could be used to review decisions, an incorrect point would have had the potential to trigger an intervention. This could have led to there being confusion and considerable controversy before the final outcome was established. The crucial point that is the possibility of such a situation was precisely why the umpire was correct to use Hawkeye when there was any doubt.
The significance of this incident is that Hawkeye didn't replace the umpire. Instead, it supported the umpire at precisely the point where human judgment was most difficult. The umpire recognised that the decision was potentially decisive and that there was uncertainty about what they had seen. By referring the decision to Hawk-Eye, they avoided simply guessing and allowed the technology to provide a more certain answer. In this case, the short pause was a small price to pay for ensuring that the final shot of the game was judged as accurately as possible.
Hawkeye works because the official recognises when a decision is important enough, and uncertain enough, to justify using it. The 2014 All-Ireland Final provides a particularly clear example: a tied game, a final free, an uncertain decision, and technology capable of resolving that uncertainty. The umpire's decision to use Hawk-Eye ensured that the match was decided by what happened to the sliotar rather than by an uncertain human judgement.
(Riona Williams is a second year student of economics in UCC.)
When the free was taken, the sliotar travelled towards the post at considerable speed. From the umpire's position, deciding whether it had passed inside or outside the post was extremely difficult. This was where Hawkeye became important. Rather than relying entirely on what they could see, the umpire decided to send the decision to Hawkeye. The break in play allowed the umpire to realise the significance of the free and instead of potentially making the wrong decision when he was not entirely certain he knew he had to send it to Hawkeye.
If the umpire had correctly signalled wide without using Hawkeye, the immediate consequence would have been that the scores remained level. The game would have then gone to a replay, as happened after Hawkeye confirmed that the shot was wide. In this situation the umpire would have been correct, and there would have been no need for further intervention. However, from the umpire's perspective, the difficulty was that they could not be completely certain that the sliotar had gone wide. The fact that the correct decision was ultimately wide does not mean that the umpire could have known this with confidence at the time.
The more demanding situation arises if the umpire had incorrectly signalled a point. Because the match was being played under a system in which Hawkeye could be used to review decisions, an incorrect point would have had the potential to trigger an intervention. This could have led to there being confusion and considerable controversy before the final outcome was established. The crucial point that is the possibility of such a situation was precisely why the umpire was correct to use Hawkeye when there was any doubt.
The significance of this incident is that Hawkeye didn't replace the umpire. Instead, it supported the umpire at precisely the point where human judgment was most difficult. The umpire recognised that the decision was potentially decisive and that there was uncertainty about what they had seen. By referring the decision to Hawk-Eye, they avoided simply guessing and allowed the technology to provide a more certain answer. In this case, the short pause was a small price to pay for ensuring that the final shot of the game was judged as accurately as possible.
Hawkeye works because the official recognises when a decision is important enough, and uncertain enough, to justify using it. The 2014 All-Ireland Final provides a particularly clear example: a tied game, a final free, an uncertain decision, and technology capable of resolving that uncertainty. The umpire's decision to use Hawk-Eye ensured that the match was decided by what happened to the sliotar rather than by an uncertain human judgement.
(Riona Williams is a second year student of economics in UCC.)
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