Armagh–Galway brawl Hawk-Eye malfunction The
Hawk-Eye score detection system malfunctioned during the first half of the first All-Ireland SFC semi-final on 9 July between Derry and Galway, overruling an umpire who signalled that
Shane Walsh's '45 into
Hill 16 late in the half had gone over the bar. This meant that Galway entered the half-time break a point behind. On
Sky Sports at half-time,
Jim McGuinness said: "It's a huge decision in the context of the game, and levelling the game up and Galway where they were, and to be back level at half time. I think the scoreboard should be level at half time, the reason I think that is because the technology got it wrong. The referee chalked it down as a point, the technology stepped in — it's not the other way around. the referee is well within his rights to say 'I got that right first time around, that's proven that it's right' and then to change the scoreboard. Otherwise, this game is going down to the wire, it feels that way and if it does go down to the wire, and that's what decides it, then we're in for major drama in the next couple of weeks". Over on
RTÉ,
Pat Spillane said: "It's an absolute joke. With our own two eyes, all of us here, that it went between the posts. It was most definitely a point. Hawk-Eye is available in a few grounds in Ireland, and they are getting huge money to get things right. A human error or not, that is scandalous. That is wrong".
Lee Keegan added: "I can't even understand why they are calling Hawk-Eye. I don't see point in having it there if we can't get it right. As Pat rightly said, if that isn't rectified it is going to spoil the game." A
Conor Glass effort into the Davin End that Hawk-Eye ruled wide during the first half also came under scrutiny. "Conor Glass in the first-half... it looks like a point",
Peter Canavan said on Sky Sports when the game had finished.
Cora Staunton said on
The Sunday Game the next evening: "When you look at that and get the behind the goals vision, that looks like it's a clear point, so yeah what happened yesterday with Hawk-Eye, it's not acceptable at that level. In an All-Ireland semi-final, you're training all year and something like that happens", while
Oisín McConville said: "Even the
Tailteann Cup game before it, it went to Hawk-Eye I think three times and you know, you question everything now. I mean all of the teams that have been beaten by a point, you question you know all along.
Marty Clarke has also said that he thought had been a problem with Hawk-Eye and I think we all had accepted that that ball that's just marginally on the post, that that's over the bar. So it's not a correct science..." The GAA issued a statement that evening confirming that Hawk-Eye would not be used during the second semi-final between Dublin and Kerry. Galway GAA chairman Paul Bellew later stated that the team would not have returned to complete the second half of the game if Walsh's 45' had not been retrospectively awarded by the referee. The GAA confirmed on 15 July that Hawk-Eye would return for the
All-Ireland SHC final, following comprehensive testing and a full review of the score detection technology. Glass, who expressed confusion after seeing Walsh's effort go over the bar only for it to be ruled out by Hawk-Eye, later said in an
RTÉ Radio 1 interview: "I actually didn't realise (that the previous point was added on) until they went a point up after Shane Walsh's free kick five minutes into the second half... It wasn't communicated very well, either to the Derry staff or even the referee or GAA officials, that the point was added back on. The players didn't have a clue that it was." ==Stadia and locations==