RETIRED DERRY PLAYER, Chrissy McKaigue, has criticised the narrative around the new rules and the almost universal message that they are having a wholly positive effect on Gaelic football.
The 2022 All-Star and two-time Ulster champion feels that the suite of changes as brought in by Jim Gavin’s Football Review Committee is diminishing the impact of good coaching, and is unsatisfied about the lack of critical thinking after the first two rounds of the football league have been played.
“I would be of a similar opinion to Kieran McGeeney that there is a perception out there at the minute, that if you are not jumping on to the angle of thought that they are unbelievable, they are perfect and everything is positive, that you are almost seen as anti-football,” McKaigue said.
“For a long time the game has gone a certain way, overly-defensive but that’s down to good coaching, it’s down to teams being meticulous in their preparation and wanting to win.
“I haven’t heard it once mentioned about the evolution of the game. The level of coaching and preparation has never been mentioned. It’s just been that ‘football is a certain way and people can’t watch it.’
“Which I think is unfair because there is so much good in the game that we don’t talk about. Which is again back to Kieran McGeeney’s thing, where he mentioned that Gaelic football had a PR problem, which I would agree with. Because it can’t be all that bad, and it can’t be all that much better 30 years ago than it is now.”
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The usual levels of attention afforded to teams’ fortunes in the leagues should apply, he believes, given the insistence of the Gaelic Players’ Association to do away with the pre-season competitions, which in football could have given teams adequate preparation time to get used to the new rules ahead of the league.
“I think what we are seeing at the minute is something grossly unfair on players and managements where they had to go into a national league campaign with just a few friendlies before a whole new game,” said McKaigue.
“They are getting judged the same way in terms of scrutiny if they get beat. And as far as I am aware, if you are relegated in the league this year, the rules don’t come into it in terms of using that as a crutch.
“The league holds more importance now than ever before. Keeping your status in your division, or gaining elevation into the league above, holds massive importance for the summer. It puts you in the Tailteann Cup or it puts you in the Sam Maguire.
“And it takes almost two cycles then to rectify the wrongs of being relegated or whatever the case may be.”
Not all the changes have met with his disapproval, as he explains.
“On the rules themselves, I was sceptical of the tap and go, but now I think it is brilliant. I would also think it’s brilliant even if we limited it to the back half because teams used to tactical foul in the opposition’s half. Now you can get up and play on, it speeds the thing up brilliantly.
“The three-up is so unnatural, but it is serving a purpose. And we are maybe going to have to come round to that. Theoretically you can have someone soloing the ball and you could be two yards across the staggered line and you can’t do anything about that. Maybe that’s something we are just going to have to get used to.
“I think the kickout rule is serving no purpose. One of the biggest things about being involved in teams and coaching teams, the biggest thing that you spent your time on was being able to press the kickout and getting your own kickout away.
“But that’s gone now. It’s by design that it is so easy to press a kickout now, and it’s essentially impossible for any strategy to keep possession now because all you have to do is plant three around the arc and it is so risky for any goalkeeper to get it away. It’s all about lumping it now.
“Let’s not take all the coaching out of the game. I feel we are close to doing that. There is a perception that there are plenty out there that want that.
“As a player, as a coach, they don’t invest so much of the time so that they would go into gameday and just roll the dice.
“I don’t think that is being appreciated enough.”
Laszlo Geczo / INPHO
Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO
He also spoke about the new method of scoring that may be fooling people into the extent of increased tallies.
“The two point arc is in dangerous territory at the minute. There is a perception for say Galway last weekend for example, 26 points on the scoreboard. But eight of them are two pointers. So I wonder how much scoring is really up across the board?
“We need to find a balance and be careful about the narratives being created about what is actually happening.”
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And contrary to the notion that there is more physical engagement, McKaigue doubts that apart from what is happening around kickouts. The increased high-intensity running however, has him feeling that fatigue levels are alarming.
“You are essentially playing an 11-a-side game for large parts of it. On a Gaelic pitch. The more tired you and I are when we are playing, the less contact there is going to be. You haven’t the energy,” McKaigue says.
“Is there going to be more mistakes? I don’t know. You might be soloing under no pressure because I don’t have the energy to be hanging out of you. I can’t get to you.
“That was one thing I noticed about the Tyrone and Kerry games and I was glad Paddy Tally noticed it, is there is very little physicality now. And because the tackle is so subjective, beating somebody in a one v one is a lot easier than standing somebody up.”
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'You are almost seen as anti-football': McKaigue warning on positivity around new rules
RETIRED DERRY PLAYER, Chrissy McKaigue, has criticised the narrative around the new rules and the almost universal message that they are having a wholly positive effect on Gaelic football.
The 2022 All-Star and two-time Ulster champion feels that the suite of changes as brought in by Jim Gavin’s Football Review Committee is diminishing the impact of good coaching, and is unsatisfied about the lack of critical thinking after the first two rounds of the football league have been played.
“I would be of a similar opinion to Kieran McGeeney that there is a perception out there at the minute, that if you are not jumping on to the angle of thought that they are unbelievable, they are perfect and everything is positive, that you are almost seen as anti-football,” McKaigue said.
“For a long time the game has gone a certain way, overly-defensive but that’s down to good coaching, it’s down to teams being meticulous in their preparation and wanting to win.
“I haven’t heard it once mentioned about the evolution of the game. The level of coaching and preparation has never been mentioned. It’s just been that ‘football is a certain way and people can’t watch it.’
“Which I think is unfair because there is so much good in the game that we don’t talk about. Which is again back to Kieran McGeeney’s thing, where he mentioned that Gaelic football had a PR problem, which I would agree with. Because it can’t be all that bad, and it can’t be all that much better 30 years ago than it is now.”
The usual levels of attention afforded to teams’ fortunes in the leagues should apply, he believes, given the insistence of the Gaelic Players’ Association to do away with the pre-season competitions, which in football could have given teams adequate preparation time to get used to the new rules ahead of the league.
“They are getting judged the same way in terms of scrutiny if they get beat. And as far as I am aware, if you are relegated in the league this year, the rules don’t come into it in terms of using that as a crutch.
“The league holds more importance now than ever before. Keeping your status in your division, or gaining elevation into the league above, holds massive importance for the summer. It puts you in the Tailteann Cup or it puts you in the Sam Maguire.
“And it takes almost two cycles then to rectify the wrongs of being relegated or whatever the case may be.”
Not all the changes have met with his disapproval, as he explains.
“On the rules themselves, I was sceptical of the tap and go, but now I think it is brilliant. I would also think it’s brilliant even if we limited it to the back half because teams used to tactical foul in the opposition’s half. Now you can get up and play on, it speeds the thing up brilliantly.
“The three-up is so unnatural, but it is serving a purpose. And we are maybe going to have to come round to that. Theoretically you can have someone soloing the ball and you could be two yards across the staggered line and you can’t do anything about that. Maybe that’s something we are just going to have to get used to.
“I think the kickout rule is serving no purpose. One of the biggest things about being involved in teams and coaching teams, the biggest thing that you spent your time on was being able to press the kickout and getting your own kickout away.
“But that’s gone now. It’s by design that it is so easy to press a kickout now, and it’s essentially impossible for any strategy to keep possession now because all you have to do is plant three around the arc and it is so risky for any goalkeeper to get it away. It’s all about lumping it now.
“Let’s not take all the coaching out of the game. I feel we are close to doing that. There is a perception that there are plenty out there that want that.
“As a player, as a coach, they don’t invest so much of the time so that they would go into gameday and just roll the dice.
“I don’t think that is being appreciated enough.”
He also spoke about the new method of scoring that may be fooling people into the extent of increased tallies.
“The two point arc is in dangerous territory at the minute. There is a perception for say Galway last weekend for example, 26 points on the scoreboard. But eight of them are two pointers. So I wonder how much scoring is really up across the board?
“We need to find a balance and be careful about the narratives being created about what is actually happening.”
And contrary to the notion that there is more physical engagement, McKaigue doubts that apart from what is happening around kickouts. The increased high-intensity running however, has him feeling that fatigue levels are alarming.
“You are essentially playing an 11-a-side game for large parts of it. On a Gaelic pitch. The more tired you and I are when we are playing, the less contact there is going to be. You haven’t the energy,” McKaigue says.
“Is there going to be more mistakes? I don’t know. You might be soloing under no pressure because I don’t have the energy to be hanging out of you. I can’t get to you.
“That was one thing I noticed about the Tyrone and Kerry games and I was glad Paddy Tally noticed it, is there is very little physicality now. And because the tackle is so subjective, beating somebody in a one v one is a lot easier than standing somebody up.”
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Chrissy McKaigue Derry GAA Gaelic Football Rules Teething problems