Let there be no confusion.
The GAA has taken another step towards eliminating any controversy this summer with confirmation Hawk-Eye will debut outside of Croke Park this Sunday.
The score detection technology has been in place in Croke Park since 2013, and was most famously used to judge the end of the 2014 All-Ireland hurling final when John O’Dwyer’s late free was detected as wide in the pulsating clash between Kilkenny and Tipperary.
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The GAA has been working with the technology supplier in Thurles for the last number of months, and Friday it was confirmed it will debut in the home of hurling for Sunday’s Munster hurling opener.
Cork and Tipperary clash this weekend, and a slightly different version of the system used in Croke Park will be available to the officials for any dubious shots at the post.
Thurles’ dimensions are different to Croke Park, and so the eight cameras set up in the venue have been slightly adjusted for either end.
Referees will be able to use the technology the same way as it is currently administered in Croke Park, via a series of hand signals, and results will be displayed on the new ribbon board in the Town End Goal and on TV.
The introduction of Hawkeye will come too late for Waterford, who lost the league final to Clare after a number of late scores were deemed to be points, when many felt they were actually wide.
The introduction of the technology should at least eliminate any future confusion in key hurling games.
Maybe.
