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Karl Lacey laments “copy and paste” coaching ahead of crucial vote on new playing rules
The future of Gaelic football could change dramatically this weekend with Special Congress set to vote on a series of sweeping reforms.
At the heart of the proposals are the seven ‘core enhancements’ put forward by Jim Gavin’s Football Review Committee (FRC).
The new rules were showcased in the recent Interprovincial games at Croke Park with two points awarded for points scored outside the new 40-metre arc with kick-outs also having to go beyond the arc.
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Teams will also have to keep at least three players in their attacking half of the pitch while throw-ins will be one-on-one contests instead of two midfielders from each team.
In total, 49 motions will be debated and voted on by delegates, but the issues under consideration at Croke Park will be far from the mind of Karl Lacey.
His sole focus is on Kilcoo and their forthcoming Ulster Club Final clash with Errigal Ciaran, but the former Donegal star was asked for his take on the state of Gaelic football as things stand at Wednesday night’s media event ahead of the provincial finals.
With his side plundering 5-10 against Scotstown in the Ulster semi-final, Lacey stated: “I don’t feel like I’m in a position to make judgement, but the game’s that we’ve been involved in have been fairly open football, great football. The skill level has been really high, real positive football.
“Both teams really going at it both ways, working hard defensively but also attacking wise, going at it as well.
“From what I have seen over the course of this Ulster Championship, no, there’s very little wrong with the game itself at this moment in time.
“I think the challenge for coaches, there’s a challenge there already, why does it need rules changes for coaches to embrace that? Why don’t coaches embrace the way the game is played now, the way it is and the rules that have always been there?”
Lacey was keen to stress the new rules have little relevance to himself and Kilcoo as the Ulster and All-Ireland series would be played out under the current rules should the Down champions see off the Errigal next Sunday at the Box-It Athletic Grounds.
However, he feels that more focus and attention should be on educating the next generation of coaches and suggested that mimicking successful teams and coaches is all too common in the GAA.
“In relation to the game itself, I think we need to look at the bigger picture. I think coaching is an issue,” said Lacey.
“The rules aren’t going to change how the games are coached. My own journey into coaching, you are very isolated as a coach, you learn off other sports and other coaches and I just wonder in terms of coach education and if there is a pathway for coaches.
“It is very difficult, all the knowledge that you learn playing being able to transfer that knowledge to others - it is a very difficult skill to do and I am going through that process myself.
“From a coaching point of view, it is very copy and paste and the moment, just doing what Jim McGuinness is doing because Jim won an All-Ireland or doing what Jim Galvin is doing because Jim Galvin won an All-Ireland, rather than actually thinking about the game and thinking about how teams are setting up and how you can counteract that sort of thing.
“I often wonder if we are going enough in the GAA to work around the skill of our coaches to coach the game and to coach the game to make it the most attractive game in the world rather than try and change the rules.”
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