“The punishment far outweighs the crime.” That’s Kieran McGeeney’s damning assessment of the crackdown on timewasting by goalkeepers with the new 20-second rule enforced three times during his side’s eight-point victory over Dublin on Saturday night.

The All-Ireland champions withstood a second half rally from Dessie Farrell’s men having established a 15-point advantage soon after the break with Barry McCambridge scoring a brilliant goal midway through the first.

A Lorcan O’Dell major during an unanswered 1-7 salvo gave the Dubs hope, but the Orchard men had enough in the tank to see it out and claim a much-needed two points.

Read more: Donegal vs Derry recap: Ulster champions fight back to snatch victory as Oak Leafers edge closer to relegation

Read more: Armagh vs Dublin recap as Orchard County ease relegation worries with facile eight-point win

Yet, the new rules continue to dominate the agenda with referee Niall Cullen awarding two frees to Armagh after Evan Comerford was adjudged to have breached the 20 second rule with Ethan Rafferty also penalised late on.

“Twenty seconds? Maybe? So that’s a rule? Can somebody tell me how that is a rule? It’s shocking," said McGeeney.

"There was not one of those kick-outs that he blew tonight was over 15 seconds. How do you have a rule that has ‘maybe’ in it?

“You're not allowed to have tactics. Listen, they (referees) have huge impacts on games. You're sitting there after maybe hitting three points in a row and next thing a free goes against you and it's a point.

“The punishment far outweighs the crime, far outweighs it. You're just giving a point. A 13m free, or a 20, like, it's a point. That's some punishment!”

He added: “I feel for the referees, I'm not laying the blame and that there. There are things that are improving. The tap and go is good, trying to get the quick kick-out is good. I just think that everybody needs to pull back a wee bit. People are getting carried away with themselves.”

Like his Armagh counterpart, Dessie Farrell said there remains some “confusion” over the new rules and felt Comerford was harshly penalised for the 20 second rule.

“We're in a period of experimentation. It's going to be difficult,” said Farrell.

“I'm not going to stand here and point the finger of blame at anybody, but it is confusing. I don't know what happened in the last one.

“Definitely the 20 seconds, you know, I think even some of the TV analysis are saying that we were 14 and 15 seconds and not 20, and I think Armagh got caught with one similar in the second half as well, so.

“I don't know how, in terms of practically, how that's been monitored, the time of a kick out. “But it's probably something that the committee in charge will take a look at.”

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