Advertisement
GAA President Liam O'Neill and GAA Director-General Paraic Duffy. INPHO/Morgan Treacy
Hot Topics

Team Ulster, the clock-hooter and 26-man team lists feature in Paraic Duffy's report

The International Rules series and concerns over club fixtures crop up as well in the GAA Director-General’s annual report.

1. Duffy’s got some concerns about the new clock-hooter system

The 2014 season will see the clock-hooter system brought in for all provincial and All-Ireland senior championship games. But Duffy argues that teams may resort to running down the clock in the closing stages of games.

“Delays in taking free kicks or kick/puck outs are provided for in rule by the penalty of a ‘hop ball’, while there is no current provision in rule to consider substitutions a delay. There is a concern that teams may use free kicks, sideline kicks/pucks and substitutions to run down the clock towards the end of a game and that they will consider the penalty of a ‘hop ball’ a small price to pay for wasting time.

“The other concern is that teams will resort to ‘keep-ball’ hand passing to run down the clock. I will not be surprised if these emerge as issues of concern during the first year of the use of the clock-hooter system.”

2. There’s doubt over the future of the International Rules series

Poor attendances and one-sided games drained interest levels from last October’s International Rules series between Ireland and Australia. Player availability is pinpointed as a major issue by Duffy.

“The chief difficulty facing both the AFL and the GAA is ensuring the availability of the best players. From our point of view, this may involve seeking to have the series played at a slightly later date to avoid clashes with the latter stages of club competitions.

“The AFL may face more significant challenges in ensuring the availability of their top stars. If they are successful in this context, the series may well have a long-term future. If not, I fear it will spell the end of International Rules.”

3. Donal Og Cusack’s ‘Team Ulster’ hurling idea gets the thumbs up

The former Cork All-Ireland winner proposed the novel idea on ‘The Sunday Game’ last summer and Duffy gives it the green light.

“The idea of a combined Ulster tea competing in the All-Ireland championship has been floated by Donal Óg Cusack, President of the GPA, and merits serious consideration for 2016.

“The strong sense of provincial identity in Ulster would generate significant spectator support for such a team. If Antrim continues to find it difficult to compete successfully in Leinster over the next three seasons, the idea of an Ulster team should be explored.”

4. It’s time to change the format for announcing teams

The amount of changes made by teams in the run up to games persuades Duffy that change is needed.

“Releasing the incorrect composition of teams to the media became the norm rather than the exception during the 2013 championships. The practice is, frankly, an embarrassment, and is disrespectful to supporters.

“If we believe that the release of teams in advance is important, then we must penalise counties that do not field a starting team as announced. If the implementation of such a rule is considered impractical, then we should insist that counties release a panel list of 26 players five days before a game and that the addition of another player on match day be prohibited.”

5. There’s a radical proposal to ensure counties  finish championships by the first Sunday in October

The club fixture backlog is a major headache for the GAA as solutions to this difficult problem prove thin on the ground. Here’s what Duffy suggests:

“One simple suggestion I believe would be most effective would be to pass a rule whereby, in order that a county be eligible to be represented in the provincial club championship, the county championship must be completed by the first Sunday in October.

“In other words, if the county championship were not completed by this cut-off date, the county would not be allowed to be represented in their provincial club championships.”

Hawkeye could be set for Semple Stadium debut

No U-turn on black card, insists GAA

Your Voice
Readers Comments
7
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.