It's not time to wave red flag, but GAA rule changes must be tweaked
After two rounds of the Allianz Football League and 29 games, the Football Review Committee now has a considerable bank of data. Up to 10 days ago, Jim Gavin and his cohorts could only go on a handful of ‘sandbox’ games, the interprovincial series last October and anecdotal evidence from challenge matches ahead of the League restart, given the nonsensical decision to bin pre-season competitions this year.
In December, Gavin said that a Data Research Unit would be formed to establish how the game has been impacted by the rule changes, with GPS data to be sought from counties to assess how the physical demands have changed, while statistics around the number of kickpasses, handpasses, etc in the new game would also be processed.
“I won’t know who it is, it simply goes into what’s called a data controller in the games intelligence unit,” said Gavin days before Christmas. “They then crunch the figures. We’ll know it’s a Division Three team but we won’t know what team it is.”
Read more: Paddy Tally issues Derry injury update as former All-Star is ruled out for the season
Hmmm. Can you imagine Jim McGuinness, for example, handing over the GPS readings from Donegal’s win over Dublin last Saturday?
“That’s what you would call family business,” he replied when asked for specifics on the fresh demands on his players as he campaigned for the number of substitutions to be increased to six.
Incidentally, it was said in December that this data would be published on a weekly basis, but there’s been no sign of it so far. Little wonder.
By and large, the rules have been well received so far, albeit many are holding judgment until the sample size of games is much greater.
But there needs to be a touch of realism in people’s assessments too. Sunday’s madcap Derry-Kerry game was widely contrasted to the borefest that the two counties served up in last year’s All-Ireland quarter-final.
Does anybody seriously believe, under any set of rules, that if they meet again in Croke Park in a knockout Championship game later in the year that it would be anything like what played out in Celtic Park? The League regularly throws up wildly unpredictable games that are virtually never repeated when the stakes shoot up.
Tinkering and tweaking the rules at the very least is inevitable and with two rounds of the League complete, where might Gavin and Co be looking in that respect?
Two-pointer too much?
After the interprovincial games last October, the four-point goal was quickly dropped, with Gavin explaining how there was a feeling that, in games between counties of different status, a couple of early goals and an eight-point swing would be too demoralising for the underdogs.
But, never mind Division One opposition against Division Four, two-pointers are putting games out of reach when top flight teams face off against each other.
Sunday’s Mayo-Galway game was a perfect example. Mayo led by a point at half-time having scored just one two-pointer when playing with the breeze. Galway then kicked three of them in the first nine minutes of the second half to establish clear daylight and seven in all to win at a canter in the end.
Two points just feels like too great a reward for kicking the ball over the bar from 40 metres, particularly in the context of a goal still being worth three points. Mayo manager Kevin McStay said that a two-point reward for a free from outside the 40-metre arc is excessive.
“I think two points for a free is a little bit much especially with the breeze and you’re 41 metres out - that’s not a difficult trick,” he commented. “It’s not easy either but it’s not the most difficult.”
Ditching the two-point free would give rise to cynicism, however. If a player is lining up a two-point shot from play, just push him over if the resultant free is only going to be worth one.
The sight of a player bringing a ball outside the arc to kick a free for an offence committed inside jars, however, and is something that may not have a long-term future, whatever about the two-pointer itself.
In theory, changes can be made on the hoof at any stage between now and the back end of the Championship, but if the FRC was to meddle with the two-pointer now, it would surely corrupt scoring difference in League, a competition which determines where counties ply their trade come summer, ie the All-Ireland series or the Tailteann Cup.
Increase the number of substitutes
It was mooted last year that the number of subs permitted would increase from five to six but it never materialised, though rival managers McGuinness and Dessie Farrell were united in calling for it in Ballybofey on Saturday night.
Farrell did so in the context of three of his players retiring with hamstring injuries in the first half of Dublin’s defeat, with this new iteration of Gaelic football seemingly demanding more high speed running.
It’s something that could be added without any fallout, but logic suggests that it would be more beneficial to the stronger counties.
Goalkeeper’s role
Derry manager Paddy Tally was strongest on this after his side’s opening defeat to Tyrone, saying that it’s “killing the game”, but he’s not a lone voice.
There is a feeling that allowing the goalkeeper to join the play in the opposition half, creating a 12 v 11 scenario, has only moved the problem that a number of new rules sought to tackle further up the pitch.
It deserves more time and games to see how it plays out, but the extent to which goalkeepers are prepared to rove upfield has been surprising, with some of them operating purely in a decoy capacity.
A catch-all solution is not obvious. Leaving it as it is may diminish the spectacle. Restricting No 1s to their penalty area almost stigmatises the goalkeeping position.
Handing the ball back for a free
This only applies when the offending player is in possession of the ball, but it’s been widely commented on in a negative light by players and probably represents too great a cultural leap for the game at this moment in time.
Throwing, rather than handing, the ball to the opponent would seem a reasonable compromise.
Give the refs a rulebook
This doesn’t or shouldn’t fall back on Gavin, but it was jarring given how thorough he and his committee have been in their work to hear, via David Gough last Friday, that the GAA has apparently yet to issue referees with an updated rulebook despite the raft of changes.
Surely that’s something that can be sorted before next Saturday’s three rearranged fixtures?
Sign up to our free sports newsletter to get the latest headlines to your inbox
