"Defeat" of the proposed rules change.

[Bord na Mona man]

You really can't beat an inflated ego can you . Touted as a future G.A.A. President Laois man Dick O' Neill has come out with the following about managers frostiness to the new rules.
Blissfully ignoring the 80% plus vote by the GPA against the green lighting of these new sanctions.


"I feel that people listened to them a second time and, as a consequence, they lost out marginally. But theirs is a hollow victory. There is not more powerful force than an idea whose time has come and, in this case, the time for these has almost come."

The Laois man is now calling on the Association to take back control from inter-county managers.

"It's not that managers have power, it's that we as an organisation have allowed them to assumed that power," he added.

"I would be of the belief that if managers want to be administrators, there is a very simple process by which they can do that. But it's time for managers to manage, players to play and administrators to be allowed to get on with the business of administration."

For the record I saw advantages and disadvantages to the disciplinary efforts but the grassroots, managers and players have spoken .

Check him out yourself on Hogan Stand. He has some neck. Literally

Liam O'Neill seems to be a loose cannon. I remember him making all sort of foolish remarks about Dublin GAA a couple of years ago too.
His rent-a-quote attitude will start to lose him credibility.

[Bord na Mona man]

What about the prospect of limiting the hand pass to 3-5 times per possession where on the ball must be kicked with the foot.

It'll turn into something resembling rugby league at that rate.

The handpass isn't the problem. Teams that overindulge in handpassing usually get punished and lose games.
Cynical fouling is.

There is a simpler solution, instead of sin bins, yellow cards putting you off etc.
Simply allow every free that comes from a personal foul to be brought 13 metres closer to the goals.
So if you get dragged down on the 45, you'll get a free from just over 30 metres out.
If the foul is a yellow or red card offence, then award the free from the 20 metre line.
So if its a corner forward who rugby tackles the corner back, the play will be brought right down to the other end of the field.

You'd see a real change in teams approach.
Tactical fouling outside the scoring would have a much better chance of being punished.

[Bord na Mona man]

Yesterday's League finals were further evidence of the futility of these new rules.
There were black cards given for players dragging opponents around the neck and other pulling down offences.
In normal circumstances they'd be yellow cards.

You can make all the rules you want, but ultimately refs are going to run the game their way anyway.