Gerard O’Kane: Round one rule teething problems

THIS time last week it would have been very appropriate to tell all that ‘there’s a storm a-coming.’

Well, even though Storm Éowyn has now left these shores, leaving behind a trail of devastation, we can still use the phrase and apply it to the footballing scene.

With the league starting last week and games now coming at us thick and fast, there will be a chance to see the new rules in full flow. I had watched a few webinars and looked at various print documentation on the rules, but it’s not until you see them in operation in front of you that you get to really see them in all their glory.

Firstly, on the football itself, there were no major shocks in the games played involving Ulster teams.

In Division One, Dublin got their campaign off to an expected win and home advantage proved useful in both Tyrone and Derry and Galway against Armagh, something nearly expected in a lot of these tight league games where playing in front of your supporters can prove decisive.

Indeed, of all the games played in round one there were only three away wins.

I had expected Tyrone to beat Derry given the preparation Tyrone would have had over the last four months with a settled management team in place.

The seven-point margin just came out of nowhere given Derry had turned over a four-point half-time deficit by the 51st minute but strength in depth is massive at this level and Tyrone’s ability to bring on three seasoned inter-county players along with newbie Eoin McElholm was crucial in allowing them to kick on.

Derry just didn’t have this type of depth at the moment with injuries to key men. Some of those are medium- to long-term so they will just have to battle on through it.

Finding your feet in Division One can be unforgiving and with Kerry coming to Celtic Park next week, there’s no better test than to get back at it right away. Tyrone will be a team to be reckoned with this year and it will be of no surprise to anyone to see them challenging for top honours after a few years out of the reckoning.

Galway and Armagh went very much as I expected (not that I am the oracle of all things GAA) but it was the perfect game for Galway to set a marker down for the season ahead, given both of these team’s last game was the All-Ireland final. Galway especially will have felt they did not play to their potential on that day so whether they openly admit it or not, they would have had the bit between their teeth for this one.

Neither Armagh nor Derry will be overly concerned about their round one defeats in the grand scheme of things but they will not want to be staring into game three with zero points on the board.

It’s hard to cover all the Ulster teams across the board but the other all-Ulster derby of Cavan and Monaghan was one I was keeping an eye on. Cavan have been sort of a bogey team for Monaghan in the last few years so no doubt it was a very welcome win for the Oriel’s new management.

Aside from the football, the main talking points across the weekend were the new rules.

If I was to be put on the spot, there iaretoo many, they are not all enforceable – especially at club level – and for some the punishment does not fit the crime.

I get that it is only week one and it will take a full league campaign before we really see the full effect of the rules across the board, but it was extremely frustrating to watch some of the stuff going on.

Armagh were beaten by six points, four of which were as a result of them breaching the ‘three up’ rule. From watching the game, it only looked like one of these instances was where the extra man came in and was part of a mass defence, the other two were players creeping across the halfway line but not really interfering with play.

The punishment was a 20-metre free and on the second infringement, Shane Walsh backed himself to take it from outside the new arc and got two points. So this one scenario cost the team two points.

Compare that to a situation where a man might be one v one with the goalkeeper, he is fouled, gets awarded a penalty and scores a goal. He only gets three points for this but you can get two for a man stepping over a line? The punishment is too severe.

Now, here is the kicker. In two of these instances, the infraction was called by the linesman. The referee cannot be aware of what is behind him so he was signalled electronically and the game was stopped, counting was done and the decision taken.

Fast-forward three months when Glenullin play Sleacht Néill in a senior league game. In what universe is a sole referee meant to be able to take the time to turn around, count six men up the pitch and watch play at the other end? I can only see chaos ensuing and it will be impossible to police properly across the board.

Onto the rule of not handing the ball back.

Again, I get the idea of speeding the play up but to make a man physically hand the ball back and punish with a 50-metre move up the pitch is fanciful stuff.

In one instance the Derry corner-back Diarmuid Baker was at the opposing end of the pitch, lost possession and was scrambling around on the ground for the ball. He got blown for over-carrying, which was questionable in itself, but then had two Tyrone men physically pushing him down and preventing him from getting up.

As he lay on the ball, he could not even get his body turned never mind his hands on it to scoop it up and present it back and he was obviously holding his hands out to show he was not preventing the quick free from being taken.

As it was on their own end-line, the ball was only moved to their own ’45 but closer to Derry’s goal and it would prove a lot more costly. Is it not enough to simply drop the ball and not interfere with a quick restart?

These are just two examples from week one but I foresee count countless problems, arguments and issues down the line in club games.

A few rules being tweaked would have been a lot simpler than this. I will maybe revisit again after seven league games but at this stage I think it is all too much at the one time.

Check out this week’s edition of the Gaelic Lives podcast with Colm Cavanagh looking into the rivalry between the counties, the new rules and Malachy O’Rourke come on board as the Red Hands’ manager.