Analysis of Premier Division figures shows a clear spike from last season.

So far this term, there have been 115 yellow cards handed out on the pitch across the opening four rounds of fixtures. This includes second bookings for Rovers pair Daniel Cleary and Lee Grace that resulted in an early bath. 

It equates to an average of 5.75 yellow cards per game. There have been three straight-red-card offences.

In the entirety of the 2022 campaign, stats compiled by Transfermarkt showed a total of 767 yellow cards across a 180-game season, with 23 of them second yellows.

That’s an average of 4.26 per game.

In 2021, the equivalent amounts were 719 yellows with 20 of them second yellows – in both years the total red cards was 18. The average bookings per fixture was just under four.

Should the current rate of bookings continue, the 2023 yellow-card tally will cross the 1,000 mark. Neither league director Mark Scanlon or former ref Ian Stokes, who now heads up the LOI’s panel, were available for comment.

The idea that the amount could be attributed to early-season enthusiasm doesn’t stack up relative to 2022; there were 70 yellows across the opening four series last year (albeit with two match postponements) which delivers an average of below four.

Indeed, the LOI tallies for 2022 would be in line with the current state of play in neighbouring England and Scotland.

As it stands in the Premier League, the bookings average to date this term is 3.65 per game, whereas north of the border it’s around the four mark.

Interestingly, in Scotland there’s a higher amount of red-card offences (32 already this term), whereas instances of serious foul play in the League of Ireland appear to be low.

But, for whatever reason, Ireland, in 2023, now appears to have a very unforgiving approach to minor offences with protagonists bemused that fixtures with no real needle are producing card stats which reflect an image of a dirty, scrappy contest.

“The old saying of, ‘I just did my first foul’ doesn’t count any more,” said St Pat’s boss Tim Clancy yesterday. “It’s easier to get a yellow now.”

Where is this rise coming from?

Several sources have described the introduction of Refpal, a programme developed in Estonia, as a significant factor. Refpal provides forensic clipping of incidents, with officials who show leniency in a particular situation fearing seeing that episode coming back to them via the service, with examples sent out to all panel members.

“It is supposed to be an educational tool,” said one. “But lads are terrified, thinking if they don’t give this (a yellow) in a situation, I will be on a clip.”

Refs have individual records monitored to see if there are recurring trends around specific infringements and fouls in certain areas of the pitch.

Senior officials contacted would argue that their judgments have always been scrutinised and analysed.

However, what the tool may lack is nuance in terms of what type of encounter it is; the criticism is that it has taken out an element of the common-sense approach.

“If you get to seven yellow cards in a game, you might have a fourth official saying to the ref to try and manage that,” continued the source. “But that ability to manage a game is being diluted.”

Bradley hinted at that, by revealing how refs had confided in him off the record. “When you speak to referees, a lot will tell you they don’t want to give cards in certain situations,” he said. “But because they’re getting marked down, a lot of them are saying, ‘If I don’t make that decision or don’t give that card I won’t work for four or five weeks’.”

There is a spin-off debate from that about the standard of referees here overall, with experienced refs dropping off the panel in recent years, and concerns about the depth of talent coming through. 

Over the winter, there were changes to working terms and conditions, with referees signing into contracts with the FAI; the tightening up of this area has led to individuals questioning the time and effort involved, especially with the review process expanding. 

In ref circles, there’s a feeling that comparative rookies don’t have either the confidence or the credit in the bank to risk challenging the climate created by the new system.

In Abbotstown, there is a view that offering a more professional feedback service is a step in the right direction; the introduction of a quick appeal process for red cards and tweaks to suspension rules point to attempts to improve.

But it will be undermined if a surging card count raises questions about the application of the basics.