Referee James Owens understands James McGrath's fury at omission

James Owens is understanding of his refereeing colleague James McGrath's disappointment at being omitted for the All-Ireland final.

McGrath publicly lambasted the decision that led him to being overlooked for the All-Ireland final this summer, resigning from the national refereeing panel as a result.

Owens, who officiated the decider between Limerick and Galway admitted he could understand the disappointment felt by his colleague.

"I was upset in 2010, 2011," said Owens. "Obviously you want to referee the All-Ireland but if you don't get the call, if you think you're in the frame, I would have been upset if I didn't get the call.

"That's the drive at the beginning of the year, that you want to referee the All-Ireland final. The 12 of us that were picked on the panel, every one of us, to a certain degree, want to referee the All-Ireland final.

"We know that there's four or five that it will come down to in the end. If you're in that shake-up, you will be disappointed if you don't get it. I would have been disappointed if I hadn't got the call. So, I can understand it."

The Wexford native revealed that in a way, it proved a distraction from the pressures ahead of ruling over the biggest day in hurling.

"Once I got the call, that was my main focus," said Owens. "It probably helped a small bit because it took the attention off. I've been talking (to him) since the decision was made. We're good friends and we've been soldiering together for a long time. That's not really going to change."