Changes in the GAA - super thread

callaway92

Also, when taking forwards into account it’s mostly just scores.

They don’t take any other contributions into account such as chances created or frees won leading to shots etc

It’s completely outdated

dxhound2005

I didn't know this bit until I looked up the criteria for the awards. That it is the players themselves who choose the All Stars. Fair play to so many of the also rans, that they consistently give the accolade to their more succesful brethren.

"In 2011 it was announced that the GAA All Stars Awards, which had been sponsored in recent years by Vodafone, and the GPA Awards would merge under the sponsorship of car manufacturer Opel. The move announced by Christy Cooney saw the achievements of players recognised jointly for the first time in October 2011.

The All Stars team comprises the best player in each position, regardless of club or county affiliation. The composition of the All Star teams are decided on the basis of a shortlist compiled by a selection committee of sports journalists from the national media, while the overall winners are chosen by inter-county players themselves. The award is regarded by players as the highest accolade available to them, due to it being picked by their peers."

gormdubhgorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121177426#Comment_121177426

That is one I forgot to say players should be voted for by the public not the journalists. Most GAA fans would give a fair call overall as to who the players should be. Voting could be charged another way to earn money for the GAA or part to charity, or various causes that affect GAA players that no longer play the game etc.

My etc was referring to examples of players.

But I find the all stars in it's current form the 'All-Stars' is a day out for the sake of it. Good players get forgotten about that play for so called weaker counties.

A four team All-Star League 'divisional' teams playing each other would be a great preseason thing instead of the McGrath cup/O'Byrne cup etc. They could have it in a round robin or something. I would watch it anyway.

dxhound2005

I'd prefer the something to the Round Robin. Etc.

gormdubhgorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121180700#Comment_121180700

What do you suggest other than snide remarks? Because the All stars has been a farce for a long time.

A false award in my view.

PTH2009

The All Stars selection committee probably a council of elders

Iecrawfc

The GAA are looking at making the all ireland finals more of an occasion, about time too, there should be a warm up game, think an updated railway cup was suggested, maybe the provinces of the finalists in football and a team of the Munster champ vs team of Leinster(Inc. Antrim and Galway) in hurling. Need to make the 25th anniversary teams be more a part of the occasion, should be at half time in senior game, maybe invite both finalists also.

callaway92

Don’t like absolute nothing exhibition games like the Railway Cup. Surely there’s something else that could be fit in if necessary.

Lost Ormond

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121180162#Comment_121180162

Why not have both? Players vote as well as journalists. i think the format of competitions will help just see finalists/semi finalists be rewarded more

I dont see a 4 team all star would be great at pre season at all. might get good tv coverage but how many players would take part. county managers wouldnt want it nor would county boards.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121265868#Comment_121265868

Why is a warm up game needed? Most other players in other counties could have club championship or anything else on.

Why do you need to have 25th anniversary teams more a part of the occasion. and how do you do that?

Finalists? Would they really want to come on. fair enough celebrate/honour the winners of the past but the runners up as well? Would they really be interested in that?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121266345#Comment_121266345

Such as?

callaway92

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121268571#Comment_121268571

I dunno what else could go in there - but an Exhibition match isn't good enough.

I'm not saying something has to go in, for what it's worth.

PTH2009

I see there scheduling league games for Paddys Day next year

I'd imagine could be some chaos getting too venues

agfasfos

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121306688#Comment_121306688

Where did you locate the fixtures list for the league fixtures for 2024 ?, cant see them anywhere.

PTH2009

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121309514#Comment_121309514

https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-41259154.html

----

legendary.xix

It's tough on some counties that they are expected to play the final two rounds of the football league, possibly a league final and then provincial first round on 4 consecutive weekends.

An alternative scheduling would be the first 3 rounds of the league, a rest weekend, another 3 rounds of the league, a rest weekend, round 7, league finals and then start the provincial championships. This way counties are not playing for more than 3 consecutive weekends.

gormdubhgorm

Just sparked from a something another poster said on another thread - basically going on about how teams keep the ball for ages in football, hoping the other side make a mistake.

Would the simple answer be a shot clock (like in basketball) could be the answer to that 'keep ball' problem? 1/2 minute limit? Have a separate ref for it in the stands. Anything more than 2 minutes of keep ball is really taking the mick as far as I am concerned. I remember years ago div 2 final Galway v Kildare. Both sides were afraid to get out of their own half and afraid to take any shot. It was not a great spectacle for the neutral.

I think could make it harsh and give a 45 to the opposition for repetitive breeching of the rule etc. That would put some smacht on them.

ArmaniJeanss

@gormdubhgorm

I think it causes as many problems as it solves.

There's a technological issue as players would need to see how much time they have left so the shot clock needs to be visible. So all scoreboards would need to be changed - not sure how feasible that is or what level it goes down to in the pyramid.

30 seconds isn't a lot of time if you gained initial possession in your own square against the hurricane on a wintry day (e.g., June/July) in Salthill - probably not physically possible to go the ~60 metres needed to get a realistic shot off. So there'd have to be some 'kick it in the general direction of the goal' alternative to count as a valid shot to avoid penalty. Would this descend into 'we gain 40 metres, kick it 30 metres, try to hold them to 20 metres and when they kick it 30 metres, we have gained net 20 metres'? Like a bad NFL-USA punt-fest game.

Lots of fun with 'did he get the shot off on 29.9 or 30.1 seconds?' arguments.

(Maybe some limit on the amount of backward passes in any uninterrupted possession might be a better solution, probably flawed as well)

gormdubhgorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121562268#Comment_121562268

Yeah, hard to figure it out. That is why I said two mintues max - 30 seconds does not seem long enough.

Though a rule like that would fundamentally change the sport and could have unintended consequences - (like the advanced mark). There definitely needs to more incentive for attacking in football though. Way too easy for a side to just shut up shop. Maybe 5 points for a goal would be a much simpler solution? Or would that make some sides even more defensive?

I don't mind a small bit of defensive football, but when they are all at it gets silly - no contrast in styles. It does not make for a nice spectacle and would not encourage neutrals to switch on.

gormdubhgorm

But as usual this time of year I am really looking forwards to the league, and wondering why I bother going to Leinster matches at all, we are in 2024 for flip sake, nothing changing in the provincials The spilt season was almost a smokescreen for the competition structural issues IMO. Ulster will say no - no doubt.

NIMAN

Came on here to raise a point, and hope this is the correct forum.

First off, I'm not a bigg GAA fan. I'll get that out in the open, and may get told to butt out due to this, but I would have followed a bit of football many moons back.

My point is about hurling though. Always enjoyed watching it over the years, and I know it's a very skillful game and a tough one as well, but as a spectacle is it starting to fail a little bit? I think with the strength of the players now, plus their skill levels, scoring is too easy. Watching games, guys are scoring from 3/4 of the pitch away, and seem to do it with ease. Their accuracy is amazing.

Do rules need changed? Or equipment? To make it harder to score from so far out?

MacDanger

I'd agree that intercounty hurling could do with having a differently weighted ball to make it a little harder to score from way out.

On the flip side, I think football would benefit from changing the ball weighting to make it a little easier to score from distance which would create more space inside as teams push out to defend

gormdubhgorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121755689#Comment_121755689

I think this is good idea, simple and does not radically change both codes. A slightly smaller ball in football might be the answer either.

It would be great to see the end of glorified hurling free-taking competitions, constant risk adverse football.

Your ideas are much better than the one I was thinking the last day when watching hurling, that that it should be 1 point for a placed ball, 2 points from play. It was correctly pointed out to me that fellas would be deliberately fouling then. So that would end up creating more problems than it would solve.

callaway92

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121757563#Comment_121757563

Was at a match yesterday where the ref blew his whistle 39 times for fouls in 75 mins incl. injury time. 39! That doesn't include stopping play for Lineballs/Puckouts/Throw-Ins.

Ball-In-Play time must have been non-existent.

Between a taker setting up for a free, shooting it and the goalkeeper pucking the ball out it's some amount of dead-ball time.

gormdubhgorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121758285#Comment_121758285

Hurling is in danger of moving from the fastest field game in the world to the most "stop start" game in the world at this rate.

I was trying to think of some in-between benefit instead of a free that would be permitted to shot at goal.

Maybe a sin bin for 2 minutes for a foul might be better than a free? Could have a ref in the stands to time that.

Only a max of 3 players can be sin binned from a team at any one time, then it reverts to the current type of free instead of a sin bin rule?

Because if a team cannot take advantage of being 3 men up there must be something wrong.

You certainly would have open games.

callaway92

Without having thought about that too much, I think some sort of a sin bin system is a good idea. Maybe even a totting of fouls conceded along the line of basketball

gormdubhgorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121758727#Comment_121758727

Yeah something like that, because missing a player for two minutes in hurling can count for a lot. As there is no "black card" in hurling it could be a nice happy medium,

But what would worry me is the competence of the officials to keep track of it, it could be fairly constant. The watch could stop, they could leave it at home etc

callaway92

There is a black card in hurling (just in case you didn’t know!) 😎

gormdubhgorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121758787#Comment_121758787

Jayus I must have gotten a wallop of a hurl to forget that.

gormdubhgorm

This is a football idea what about borrowing from Rugby? The hand pass has to go forward, the would cut out the side to side stuff and it would be much easier to ref than the thing they tried with counting the handpasses.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121792448#Comment_121792448

Would like to see them try a ban on the ball going backwards past the 21/45/65.

klose

https://twitter.com/keyscolm/status/1761350087714717715?s=46

How this was even a thing I’ll never know.