Running the rule: A player, coach and referee’s take on the new GAA rule proposals

Jim Gavin and the Football Review Committee have revealed their proposed seven core enhancements to help shape Gaelic Football. Michael McMullan spoke with a referee, player and coach to get thoughts on the proposals.

Barry Dillon (Ulster University and Truagh manager)

COACHES and managers look at rule changes in the same way. How do they help maximise the hand? There is also shutting down opponents.

Dillon operated under John Brennan when Derry got to the 2011 Ulster final. More recently, he is the coach of the Ulster University Sigerson winning team.

He welcomes change. There is an excitement. But there is a concern too. His hope is to not bring all the enhancements in. It’s too much change. It heaps more at the referee’s door.

Whatever changes are brought in, he wants them to stay. He respects those in the FRC as men who have walked the walk and will get it right. When they do, he pleads for no more changes. Then it’s time to leave the game alone.

He thinks back to the hooter system costing a Sigerson game back in the day. He like the idea of the foam to banish his bugbear of free not taken from the proper spot.

A mention of the one versus one for the throw-in and he’s immediately thinking how to curb it. The spare midfielder tucks into wing back. The wing back shuffles to the centre and the central defender drops back. A foul on the man catching the throw-in might another ploy for managers not wanting to conceded the first score.

There is the concern at not having the McKenna Cup for counties to road-test the new rules. This is the year provincial competitions are needed most.

And in the case of counties yet to appoint their management teams, that’s another variable to consider where a manager comes into a new set of players to evaluate against any potential changes to the rules.

“It depends on how you look at it,” Dillon said of the one versus one for the throw in.

“The 40-metre scoring arc, I can see it as a good thing for football in general but the free outside the arc, is that two points or is that one point?”

Any loose ends need tied down. Four points for a goal? It might lead to teams doubling down on their defensive ploys. The cost of concession may be too much.

Managers may well send taggers with the long-range scorers and pack the rest in the goalscoring zone.

“Likewise, if a team are going to try and get a goal, is it going to add to a spectacle?” Dillon asks. “If there’s a crowded goalmouth and boys are still trying to go for goal, it’s going to be a bit of a mess.”

Dillon reiterates how all enhancements are not needed. If three players up is implemented, there is no need for four points for a goal.

He casts his mind back to his own playing days when allowing all frees to be taken from the hand sped up the game. He can relate it to the show and go proposal.

“The best rule ever that came out of the GAA was that quick free from the hands,” he said. “It sped the game up and it was just unrecognisable.

“The show and go could speed it up even further again, which means it’s going to be a serious, fast-paced game.”

The disadvantage is in coaching the defensive side. A forward will have four steps or a similar distance. What happens of the player is in on goal? Are players allowed to tackle? These are the pieces needing tidied up, especially when the first trial will be on a vital league weekend with two massive points up for grabs.

“You just imagine if this isn’t all right and all sorted out, boys are going to be looking at each other and it is going to be a mess,” Dillon added.

On the advanced mark, he appreciates a clean catch could present five seconds to engineer a scoring chance. But how many will be kicked in. It will prompt more defenders break the ball clear and to safety.

The advanced mark, you can play on and there’s five seconds advantage and you can play on. Is that going to encourage boys kicking balls in for a high catch? I don’t know, because, it’s going to make defenders even more determined to break it.

Dillon feels the hardest one to police, for referees and coaches, is the stipulation to keep three players inside the 65-metre line at all times. He also uses the example of Conor McCluskey raiding forward to bag goals for Derry.

“That has brought a new dimension to the game so I wouldn’t like that to be taken away, but I understand the fact they want to keep boys up,” he said, explaining how there would need to be communication about who attacks and who stays.

“There are good games here and there’s still a lot of good football played,” Dillon summed up about the state of Gaelic football.

“There are good games and, your bad games, it always has been like that.

I wouldn’t want them (the FRC) to really go to town and try and really change all the things.

“If they do change it this time, try and just keep it this way for a while.”

One amendment he’d like to have saw in the list of amendments comes from his days playing u-15 Óg Sport and in Sevens competitions.

“It’s a very simple rule that would change a lot of things…if you cross halfway then you can’t come back again. If you brought in that one rule, football would change you could press out much quicker,” Dillon points out.

As it stands, the defending team isn’t going to press all the way back to the opposition defensive zone but if players who cross the halfway line are stuck there, then it’s a gamechanger.

“In my opinion, they’ve (FRC) tried absolutely everything else,” Dillon sums up. “They are taking advice from the right people and I know they will come up with the best proposals probably for Gaelic football at the end of this.”

Johnny Cassidy (Enniskillen and Fermanagh player)

IF you’re looking a player to defend, score and ferry ball into the scoring red zone, Jonny Cassidy fits the bill. When looking for someone assess how the game is played, he ticks that box as well.

Taking a look over the list of proposed enhancements the FRC have rolled out, Cassidy some of what he sees but feels there isn’t much that needs changed.

“To be honest, I don’t think there’s much wrong with the game. I think it’s fine as it is,” Cassidy begins.

Maybe he is putting off any changes and the need to adapt. There is also the sussing out of how the game may look if there are changes.

For now, his attention is on Enniskillen Gaels, their clash with Kinawley and whatever the championship throws at them after that. As for any changes to the rules, there isn’t much bedding in time with 2025.

“Team’s only really have the off-season to really work on it and come up with ways to use the new rules to their advantage,” Cassidy said. “It’ll be interesting, but I’m not too sure about it to be honest. I think the game’s fine as it is.”

In terms of what might benefit football, not much stands out for Cassidy from the list Jim Gavin and his committee released.

“Maybe the throw-in, the one v one makes it kind of interesting,” he said.

“It makes it a battle from the off. Nowadays, there’s just grappling whenever the ball’s thrown up. So maybe the 1v1 throw-in in the middle of the field might be a good enough idea.”

When one player tries to block the jumping player, it can be messy. A scrum. It’s the same for the hop ball in general play. Cassidy hints at making that a more clearcut one v one contest as well.

“I’m not against the 40-metre arc either but it’ll be tough to manage because there might be a few close calls,” Cassidy feels. But he can see the gains. The two points up for grabs could lead to more longer kicking.

Like all the proposals, Cassidy caveats it with needing to see them up and close. When club championship is here, it’s about the here and now. The trials games with the new enhancements will tell more.

“The maths might make sense,” he said of the two points for a ball kicked between the posts from outside the 40-metre arc.

“Nowadays teams probably don’t want to go for that long range score. If you’re getting two points for it and you get three and four, the math might make sense to go for the longer-range score especially if you have the shooters that can do it.”

The approach will be balanced up by those who see it as giving away cheap possession.

Like Barry Dillon, Cassidy can see how teams will view the new four points for a goal concept. It sounds good but to a defending team, it sounds like something to defend even harder.

“Four points is massive now and teams might settle for the (opposing) team to put it over the bar from 40 metres and think ‘fair play to them’…and if they don’t, then even better.

“Teams might just try and set up within that 40-metre arc.

If teams are keeping three up, I suppose there’s probably more space as well, so I don’t really know.”

Cassidy doesn’t understand the restrictions on goalkeepers within their own 65-metre line unless inside their own penalty area. He can understand any goalkeeper’s frustration at having their wings clipped.

“Why?” he asks. “Over the last few years, goalkeepers have become probably more important than ever. I don’t see why teams can’t continue to utilise the goalkeeper.

“It’s probably naive to prevent goalkeepers setting up attacks and getting involved. That’s another one that I probably don’t really agree with.”

On the topic of allowing players to be inside the 21-metre line when goalkeepers are taking their kickout, as a means to speed the game up, Cassidy gets the concept, but will save judgment until he can see it up close.

As someone who scored 2-1 in a starring performance in his last appearance for the Gaels, Cassidy is somebody you’d imagine would both love and thrive on the show and go. And he would.

When it was put to him that it was one of the plus points of the FRC trials games so far, Cassidy will take a look at it first before making comment. Like Dillon’s take, there is a concern over the defensive side of it.

“Do you just allowed someone run through and go for a goal?” he ponders. “You have to stop them. If that’s the case, you can’t just let them show and go and then get a free shot.

“You can’t just let them take the four steps and have a free shot. You’re going to have to block them off anyway. It might work in different areas of the pitch,” he offers, “but if someone’s 1v1 (close to goal) and they want to take the show and go you can’t just let them do it at the same time.”

On the topic of keeping three players inside the 65-metre line, Cassidy can see both sides of it. It creates space and end to end football but suits the better teams at both clubs.

“It gives their forwards more space and probably makes the game less competitive for the weaker teams,” Cassidy explains.

“There would probably be a bigger gap between the so-called bigger teams and the so-called weaker teams.

“Jim Gavin and Dublin have the best forwards in the country, but if they come up against a weaker team it makes the game even less competitive. I’m sure supporters don’t want that too.”

Martin McNally (Monaghan referee)

WHILE better known as an intercounty referee, McNally wears the hat of being involved in management teams in his club Corduff.

The FRC enhancements and a long-awaited proper drill down into the GAA rule is well worth a try. There is no sense in repeating the dose and expecting different results.

He sees value in the show and go and how it will speed up the game. Outside of the core seven proposed enhancements, McNally welcomes a veer towards a proper insistence for respect towards referees.

A player “forcibly” challenging a referee’s authorly will see the ball carried forward 50 metres. Abuse from the sideline – from a team official of substitute – will be punished by a 13-metre free.

“You can imagine a man getting the ball brought forward 50 metres, the focus isn’t on the referee,” McNally said, “the focus is on the player who is after doing it, his manager is going to be best pleased.”

It’s something Barry Dillon agrees with and he recalls McNally officiating at a recent championship between his Truagh side and Emyvale.

“I never opened my mouth to him,” Dillon said of tightly contested local derby, “because he refereed it right.

“It’s when these incompetent referees come on that really completely drives you nuts, that’s whenever there’s problems there.”

Dillon echoes the sentiments of Down coach Ciarán Meenagh in Gaelic Life last year. Respect is a two-way street. Referees need paid better and given the same preparation opportunities as players.

This, along with the new punishments for dissent, it the perfect mix.

McNally points to the incidents of verbal and physical abuse of referees in recent years and appreciated Jim Gavin’s stance on wanting to raise refereeing standards.

Gavin and the FRC were present at a gathering of national referees. The intercounty managers on the committee outlined that hurt them more than conceding a free was dissent.

“The one thing that they hated to see was somebody doing something silly or saying something silly and bringing a free that is hard to kick into being the tap-over territory,” McNally recalls. “They feel that this hurts teams in a pretty effective way.”

In a previous interview with Gaelic Life McNally spoke of how referees had never been consults on any rule changes that he can recall. Until now.

Gavin wanted their opinions, the pros and the cons of way he was trying to roll out. In return, referees pleased not to have their workload added to.

McNally feels there is nothing in what the FRC are proposing that is “unworkable” at county level with referees having a team of officials. Club level is different. A referee on his own with hometown umpires.

“We need to probably think a little bit more about how that is going to work and how it’s going to play out,” McNally feels.

“We’re probably looking at this being implemented at intercounty level. It’s the shop window for everybody to observe and get used to the whole idea of what’s in front of us here before we would even go down the road of bringing it into club level.”

While there are clearly marked lines for the scoring arc, there will be a different colour of flag for umpires. There will be added teamwork with a referee signalling to his umpires of the shot was kicked from outside the arc.

On a personal level, McNally would like to see the short kick-out remain an option, with a goalkeeper allowed to dispatch the restart from anywhere inside the penalty area. It’s all about keeping the game flowing.

Like Jonny Cassidy, McNally speaks of how the role of the goalkeeper has added to the game. Why take it away?

“A lot of ‘keepers now just kick it directly off the grass,” McNally adds. “If you look at Stephen Cluxton, Niall Morgan, players like that, they don’t even use a tee.

“Imagine just dropping the ball down dead on the ground, flicking it out 13 metres and all of a sudden the corner back is driving up the line.”

McNally scanned across some of the other recommendations from the FRC, those outside the initial seven core enhancements put forward.

The red card for any contact with an opponent’s head, intentional or otherwise, has created some debate.

While it has yet to be finalises, McNally offers the zero tolerance for contact in rugby and the “if it’s to the head to it’s red” mantra coming into sport.

There is a duty of care for a player putting in a tackle to be in full control of their movements.

The tidy up of the square ball rule to allow players to be in the square as soon as a ball goalwards leaves a teammate’s boot, regardless if it is from open play or a free. Another grey area gone.

A change to a black card for contributing to a melee will create debate. He can understand the reasons but is it a serious enough punishment for what it can lead to.

“Some people will be for and against, either or,” McNally said of whether the colour of the card should be red or black.

“There was a number of melees over the last couple of years where we did see red coming out of it.

“When you have 30 players involved in a melee, the question that some people will ask is black enough, is 10 minutes in a sin in enough.

“Or should we be still looking at red because of the ugliness that it brings to our game?”

“A number of people have mentioned that particular one to me. Then again, if a guy doesn’t do anything and it’s just a little bit of holding and jostling does he deserve to be sent off on red or would black be enough to send him to the sideline and cool down for 10 minutes and come back in again?”

The core enhancements

THE Football Review Committee have released seven proposed ‘core enhancements’ from their series of 31 meetings, looking through 7,000 responses and holding five ‘sand box’ trial games.

1v1 throw-in to start games

At the start of both halves the referee would begin the game by throwing the ball in to just one player from each team.

New scoring arc and system

A new 40 metre scoring arc around each goalmouth is proposed. A ‘point’ scored from on or outside the arc would be worth two points. A points from within and 45s will remain worth one point. A goal would be worth four points.

Kick-outs

Taken from the 20-metre line and must go beyond the 40-metre arc. Players can be positioned behind the 20-metre line when the goalkeeper kicks the ball out. If an opposition player interferes with the goalkeeper or intercepts the ball within the arc, then the ball would be brought forward 50 metres.

Solo and Go

A fouled player has the option of continuing play by taking a ‘solo and go’ rather than taking a free. It doesn’t have to be the player who is fouled that takes the ‘solo and go’. The committee are still finalising when the player taking the ‘solo and go’ can be tackled. Options include allowing the player four steps before being tackled or defined number of metres. Use of this proposal has speeded up play in trial games.

Advanced mark

You can claim an offensive mark if you field a ball inside the 20-metre line that has been kicked from outside the 45-metre line. Rather than stop and claim the mark, players can continue to play and attempt to score from open play. If no advantage accrues then the ball is brought back for the mark. Rather than limit an advantage to five seconds, consideration is being given to allowing an advantage as long as there’s positive momentum.

Limits on the goalkeeper

A player may only pass the ball to their goalkeeper if both they are both inside the large rectangle or if the goalkeeper has advanced beyond their own 65-yard line. The goalkeeper can still move up the field to challenge the opposition kick-out or attempt to intercept a pass from the opposition.

3/3 Up/Back

This obliges both teams to always have a minimum of three players inside each 65-yard line. The defending team must keep three outfield players inside the opposition ’65 and defend with a maximum of 11 players outside it. If a defending player retreats beyond the ’65 to give his team a numerical advantage then they would concede a free on their own 13 metre line to the opposition. If a player carries the ball past their own ’65 and leaves less than three team-mates behind them then a free is given to the opposition at the point where they crossed the line.

Speaking on this week’s Examiner football pod, James Horan, a member of the Football Review Committee outlined the process of ‘sand box’ games.

The former Mayo manager fielded a question from host Paul Rouse about trialling too many of the enhancements in the same trial games leading to now fully knowing which were actually leading to an improved product.

“The key ones, like the three up, we played a quarter normal rules,” Horan outlined. “Then we played a quarter with the 3v3.

“Then we played a quarter with the 3v3 plus another significant rule…say the two-point arc and then we would have gone back to the normal (rules).”

That was the process of trials with the awareness that not all the rules might get through. If one rule gets through, there needs to the knowledge it will be an actual enhancement or that two combine well together.