Mayo and Kerry players contest a kick-out. Tom O’Hanlon/INPHO
Analysisin the spotlight
Will the latest new rule trials improve Gaelic football?
The Kevin McStay-chaired Expert Advisory Group has arrived with a new list of potential changes to be trialled in third-level Ryan Cup games this autumn.
A MONTH AFTER one of the greatest All-Ireland senior football championships of all time, the release of a new set of rule adjustments felt somewhat jarring.
It’s just 21 months since the Jim Gavin-chaired Football Review Committee’s rules were initially adopted and less than a year since they were made permanent across 61 different motions at October’s Special Congress.
Those revolutionary changes followed an exhaustive period of sandbox trials and public consultation.
Now, the Kevin McStay-chaired Expert Advisory Group has arrived with a new list of potential changes to be trialled in third-level Ryan Cup games this autumn.
The headline rule changes include:
A limit of three consecutive handpasses in a move before a kick pass is required;
A ban on fisted points, apart from ‘in-flight’ scores, in the same way that palmed goals are allowed;
The return of short kick-outs, with restarts allowed once they cross the 13-metre arc rather than the 40-metre arc;
The value of a goal being upped to four points;
A back-court rule, to prevent teams moving the ball back into their own half after passing the halfway line.
Kevin McStay. Nick Elliott / INPHO
Nick Elliott / INPHO / INPHO
Other adjustments are:
The black card rule being expanded to include cases where players who don’t have possession of the ball are cynically fouled to deny a goal-scoring opportunity;
An increase from five substitutions to six;
The extension of the 40-metre arc beyond the 20-metre line to the endline;
Two points being awarded for any sideline kick;
Expanding the 50-metre advancement rule to encompass delaying fouls on kick-out marks;
And a technical tidy-up of the 50-metre advancement rule, where frees can be advanced as far as the 13-metre line (currently, some go to the 20m, others to the 13m).
Tomás Ó Sé, who managed Kerry to the All-Ireland U20 title this year, expressed his frustration with the proposed changes on X.
“Could we not just leave it and let teams get to grips with what’s there??? No need at all for this. Best championship in years and we on about changes again,” he wrote.
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Could we not just leave it and let teams get to grips with what’s there???No need at all for this. Best championship in years and we on about changes again. 🤯😩 https://t.co/vLz2uLlrP7
Sligo assistant manager Eamonn O’Hara also came out against the changes, posting: “Just leave the rules alone – let them bed in and then see what needs tweaking!!”
Just leave the rules alone - let them bed in and then see what needs tweaking!!
It does all feel very soon, but it must be said that the glacial pace of change in the GAA created the crisis situation in Gaelic football.
Plus, the appointment of a new advisory group was a recommendation from Gavin’s FRC “to monitor trends” and “ensure that future changes are informed by practical insight and strategic foresight”.
Recommendations
The FRC’s additional recommendations were the basis for many of the new proposed adjustments, such as handpass limits, banning fisted points, the four-point goal, and the back-court rule.
The new rules could’ve been allowed another year or two to breathe, allowing for more data collection to monitor those trends, but on the whole, it’s better to have a proactive GAA approach to rule trials.
Indeed, McStay has emphasised that these are trials, which can be taken or left.
As for the content of the rules, many appear grounded by a deal of common sense. The four-point goal, an initial FRC amendment which was dropped too soon, would provide a better balance to the scoring incentives and the ban on fisted points would have a similar effect.
A handpassing limit has been experimented with before. The fear is that it could lead to token, safe kick passes rather than the skilful, forward passes that are desired. There are also many examples of great goals that featured more than three consecutive handpasses. But it is an attempt to address a key issue in the game.
Mayo's David McBrien handpasses the ball. Tom Maher / INPHO
Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO
The back-court rule is another to watch for unintended consequences if teams slow their transition into attack. It’s something of a smaller issue, which rarely occurs outside of the closing stages.
The biggest concern for some will be the reintroduction of short kick-outs. The longer restarts have reduced the premium on players taking on risky shots. Previously, any missed shots would grant near-guaranteed possession to the opposition.
The 40-metre rule has led to a greater emphasis on high fielding and created dramatic swings in games.
The hope is the kick-out presses that have developed around the 40-metre arc will be replicated further up the field, creating more space around the midfield contest, but the evidence of previous years has surely shown otherwise.
The merits of the black-card expansion were best illustrated in hurling this summer, such as Nickie Quaid’s challenge on Peter Duggan, while the other tweaks are smaller items.
The increase in substitutions could be interpreted as favouring the stronger counties, although it does allow more game time for panellists who have been training across the winter.
Perhaps premature, and with some potential retrograde steps, but the right tweaks could still enhance the game.
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Will the latest new rule trials improve Gaelic football?
A MONTH AFTER one of the greatest All-Ireland senior football championships of all time, the release of a new set of rule adjustments felt somewhat jarring.
It’s just 21 months since the Jim Gavin-chaired Football Review Committee’s rules were initially adopted and less than a year since they were made permanent across 61 different motions at October’s Special Congress.
Those revolutionary changes followed an exhaustive period of sandbox trials and public consultation.
Now, the Kevin McStay-chaired Expert Advisory Group has arrived with a new list of potential changes to be trialled in third-level Ryan Cup games this autumn.
The headline rule changes include:
Other adjustments are:
Tomás Ó Sé, who managed Kerry to the All-Ireland U20 title this year, expressed his frustration with the proposed changes on X.
Sligo assistant manager Eamonn O’Hara also came out against the changes, posting: “Just leave the rules alone – let them bed in and then see what needs tweaking!!”
It does all feel very soon, but it must be said that the glacial pace of change in the GAA created the crisis situation in Gaelic football.
Plus, the appointment of a new advisory group was a recommendation from Gavin’s FRC “to monitor trends” and “ensure that future changes are informed by practical insight and strategic foresight”.
Recommendations
The FRC’s additional recommendations were the basis for many of the new proposed adjustments, such as handpass limits, banning fisted points, the four-point goal, and the back-court rule.
The new rules could’ve been allowed another year or two to breathe, allowing for more data collection to monitor those trends, but on the whole, it’s better to have a proactive GAA approach to rule trials.
Indeed, McStay has emphasised that these are trials, which can be taken or left.
As for the content of the rules, many appear grounded by a deal of common sense. The four-point goal, an initial FRC amendment which was dropped too soon, would provide a better balance to the scoring incentives and the ban on fisted points would have a similar effect.
A handpassing limit has been experimented with before. The fear is that it could lead to token, safe kick passes rather than the skilful, forward passes that are desired. There are also many examples of great goals that featured more than three consecutive handpasses. But it is an attempt to address a key issue in the game.
The back-court rule is another to watch for unintended consequences if teams slow their transition into attack. It’s something of a smaller issue, which rarely occurs outside of the closing stages.
The biggest concern for some will be the reintroduction of short kick-outs. The longer restarts have reduced the premium on players taking on risky shots. Previously, any missed shots would grant near-guaranteed possession to the opposition.
The 40-metre rule has led to a greater emphasis on high fielding and created dramatic swings in games.
The hope is the kick-out presses that have developed around the 40-metre arc will be replicated further up the field, creating more space around the midfield contest, but the evidence of previous years has surely shown otherwise.
The merits of the black-card expansion were best illustrated in hurling this summer, such as Nickie Quaid’s challenge on Peter Duggan, while the other tweaks are smaller items.
The increase in substitutions could be interpreted as favouring the stronger counties, although it does allow more game time for panellists who have been training across the winter.
Perhaps premature, and with some potential retrograde steps, but the right tweaks could still enhance the game.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
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