GAA Rule Changes

flyz

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/northern_ireland/gaelic_games/4095253.stm

Main football experimental rule changes

1) Players will be permitted to lift the ball off the ground, scoop it up to a team-mate and/or play it on the ground when running or in a standing position. Players will also be permitted to play the ball away from the body when they are lying or sitting on the ground or on their knee(s).

2) Goalkeepers will use a plastic tee when taking kick-outs.

3) The introduction of a 'sin bin' which will see players sent to the bench for a period of 10 minutes on receipt of a yellow card.

4) Linesmen will, where possible, draw the referee's attention during play to any fouls that merit a red or yellow card, thus providing greater powers of control to the linesman. At the moment linesmen can only do this during a break in play.

5) Injured players will be removed from the field of play to the nearest point on the endline or sideline and will be permitted by the sideline official to recommence after a stoppage through the substitution zone.

6) Dangerous play and irresponsible behaviour will be more clearly defined.

And then the hurling ..
# The hurling changes include two points to be awarded when the ball is struck over the crossbar between the posts from a sideline puck, provided the ball is not touched while in flight by any member of the team taking the puck.

MisterAnarchy

Players will be permitted to lift the ball off the ground

This is ridiculous.
The game is completely bastardised as it is ,soon it will be a joke.
They might as well re name it Handball.
They should get rid of the Hand Pass completely that would make the game much better.

edson

the handpass or fist pass is a good thing i think
has it been around the whole time?

DUB

like the idea of the sin bin, it works well in rugby. dont like the idea of the straight pick up, getting yer toe under the ball isnt that difficult is it? suppose it works well in the interntaional game .... hmmmm

bennyc

I dont see one positive here
yellow card and sin bin
The uslter teams are screwed caues refs were handing out yellows to beat the band at all the games i was at last year. its bad enough when a player is sent off these days. I take it by this you wil still get sent off for a second yellow.
picking the ball of the ground will change the way the game wil be played all round. The ladies football final was won when the kildare team slid in and palmed the bal away from every tackle with in the end won them the match as the sligo team couldent deal with and were not prepared for this.

It takes too much skill out of the game go to your knees and throw the ball away

flyz

MisterAnarchy wrote:

This is ridiculous.
The game is completely bastardised as it is ,soon it will be a joke.
They might as well re name it Handball.
They should get rid of the Hand Pass completely that would make the game much better.

I actually like that one I have to say. The game is slowed up by players having to pick up the ball with their foot.
A lot of diving / fouling occurs as the player is getting the ball.

I don't like the playing the ball on the ground though.

The rest of them seem ok to me too. Though number 6 is a bit vague

Imposter

Wrt the pivk-up it's not a though anyone bothers to put their toe under the ball anyway.

I'd like to see a tackle introduced ala compromise rules. get rid of the feckers who think they can barge through everyone with the ball and might force them to release it.

Waylander

I do not like the idea of removing the pick up, and I do not like the fact that injured players have to leave the pitch. This was introduced to soccer to try and prevent diving, and it has not worked, and often enough players who have genuinely been fouled are forced to leave the field of play penalising the team who are awarded the free. I like the sin bin, I think it applies after two yellows and not one, can someone confirm this? I would like to see the mark introduced to see how that works as well, as it keeps the international rules game flowing nicely, I would like to see it tested in GAA.

swalsh

it seems like they are trying to make it a more viewable game maybe for corporate sponsorship reasons as i am sure guinness are going to lose out on the hurling???

whatalanger

i like the idea of awarding 2 points for a sideline puck in hurling as it is a skill that is not used enough in the game

gerire

Humm, I shall reserve judgement untill I see a game in action using the new rules, really interested to see how far extra the likes of cluxton et al will be able to put on their kickouts by using a rugby esq tee.

I definately like the 2 points for a sideline.

I was hoping they would try a 2 referee system for games too

Raoul Duke

What's the purpose of the plastic tee for a kick out? Won't this slow the game down?

I hate the idea of the pick-up laws being changed. It's a skill that should be left there. I find it hard to watch the women's football because they can pick it up by hand. It's too easy.

I like the idea of the sin bin and I hope that Ulster football will be deeply affected by this. Maybe it'll make football up there worth watching.

It's good to see the linesmen getting more power. I think they should get even more and when are they going to sort out the umpire problem. Force them to open their eyes and tell the ref what they see going on. Each umpire should focus on a quarter and then you'll have 7 officials watching what's going on. That should stop all the crap that goes on between corner backs and corner forwards.

What does it mean by "Players will also be permitted to play the ball away from the body when they are lying or sitting on the ground or on their knee(s)"? Does that mean that players will be allowed to throw the ball? I think this should only be allowed when, in the ref's opinion, the player is unable to release the ball normally due to being surrounded by defenders.

Blackjack

Like the Sin Bin idea and more control held by the Linesmen.

Not sure about the rest. Like gerire I will reserve judgement until I see a game.

DUB

Waylander wrote:

I would like to see the mark introduced to see how that works as well, as it keeps the international rules game flowing nicely, I would like to see it tested in GAA.

Please explain to me how the mark keeps the interntaional game flowing compared to Gaelic football. Okay a good bit of fielding in Gaelic can lead to a man being swamped by several tacklers but every kickout in the interntaional game seems to me goes more like, goalkeeper kick to corner back = free, corner back kicks to keeper = free, keeper to centre back = free, eventually leading to a kickout that either ends in a mark or the ball being flicked on for someone to pick up. More flow? The Mark stops the game all the time, if anyone is anywhere near the fielder, if not then the player decides to play on without the mark, which is more akin to game flow. I would hate this rule to come into Gaelic football. if anything the tackle would be interesting!

Raoul Duke

DUB wrote:

Please explain to me how the mark keeps the interntaional game flowing compared to Gaelic football. Okay a good bit of fielding in Gaelic can lead to a man being swamped by several tacklers but every kickout in the interntaional game seems to me goes more like, goalkeeper kick to corner back = free, corner back kicks to keeper = free, keeper to centre back = free, eventually leading to a kickout that either ends in a mark or the ball being flicked on for someone to pick up. More flow? The Mark stops the game all the time, if anyone is anywhere near the fielder, if not then the player decides to play on without the mark, which is more akin to game flow. I would hate this rule to come into Gaelic football. if anything the tackle would be interesting!

Have to agree here. The mark is ok for the compromise rules game as it is a different game but I've never really liked it. I think it slows the game down as well and encourages lazy thinking play. What I mean by that is that a player catching the ball is just concerned with getting the mark and not what happens after. You would get a lot less flick ons and low passes into the forwards because the ball would have to bounce first. You would see bigger forwards too. All in all, it's a good thing that they seem to be keeping away from the idea.

flyz

Raoul Duke wrote:

What's the purpose of the plastic tee for a kick out? Won't this slow the game down?

Apparently it's to preserve the area around the goals as it gets destroyed with all the kick outs.

enda_4

I think the football ones are pretty ridiculous. Being allowed to scoop the ball up when its rolling isn't so bad, cause most do it anyway but that knocking it away on the ground will just result in in injuries more than anything else. Got my hand doing that once, never again!
As for all you lot critising Ulster football, just remember there are 9 counties in Ulster!

Flukey

The sin bin is a good idea. The pickup is a simple skill if done properly and it doesn't slow the game down. Tip your foot under the ball and splay your fingers so stop it kicking through them and then grasp the ball. The mark I would be totally against, as it totally destroys the flow of the game and removes some of the times when there is an exciting flow of play because a player catches the ball and stops. He then often has a simple clearance or pass or shot at goal, unchallenged, which is ridiculous. It is stupid getting a free for catching the ball. It is a basic skill and possession is its reward. Other things can be done to stop a player being swamped, like restricting the amount of players that can be near a player in possession.

Imposter

Flukey wrote:

Other things can be done to stop a player being swamped, like restricting the amount of players that can be near a player in possession.

Or allow a tackle and then he won't hold it long enough to get swamped.

I think the tee is a good idea for those that need it too as it makes it easier for some people and doesn't cut up the ground as much (The planted foot will still do quite a bit of damage though, especially to wet ground).

I like the sin bin idea too. I hope it doesn't deter refs from giving yellow cards for things like persistent fouling though.

MrJoeSoap

5) Injured players will be removed from the field of play to the nearest point on the endline or sideline and will be permitted by the sideline official to recommence after a stoppage through the substitution zone.

Everyone seems to be ignoring this one ! Any soccer followers out there will know what I mean. Its horrible and can have a horrible effect on games.

The Rooster

I generally like the new rules.

To answer a few queries mentioned:

Pick-Up
You cannot throw the ball at any stage.
If you are on the ground and the ball is one the ground, you can push or scoop the ball to a teammate.
You cannot dive on the ball.
You cannot slide into the ball and touch it on the ground.
You can only pick the ball straight off the ground if you are standing up.
The main reason this is being brought in is because of the different interpretations of refs, i.e. some refs never blow up for pick-ups, others blow for anything remotely near the ground.

Sin-Bin
The sin bin is after 1 yellow card waylander - or two ticks in the refs notebooks (for cautionable offenses aka personal fouls). When you return to the field after your 10 minutes in the sin bin, then you are one cautionable offense away from a red card - which is as it was before. What is different is that you now also get a mandatory one match ban (minimum) in the same competition.

Injured players
Tyrone brought in systematic diving in 2003, and the odd individual in every county copied them in 2004. I believe this is a gentle warning to counties to cut it out, or else we'll bring in this rule. I would doubt at this stage that it will be brought in permanently.

The Mark
As Flukey said, bringing in the mark for every catch would not work, would slow the game down, and make it less exciting to watch. However bringing it in for only kick outs that travel over the 45m line, would reward high catching without slowing the game down at all. The catcher would be rewarded with a free kick (which 9 times out of 10 would be to his benefit if he took it quickly) instead of being surrounded by 2 or 3 opponents, which inevitably leads to a free kick (often against the catcher) in any event.
I'm sure such a experiment will come in within the next 5 years.

Danno

Was at the Freshford game today. I have to say that the pick-up has definatly added speed to the game, and this is for the good. If one wants to watch a tactical slow game, then there is soccer.

Flukey

The reward for a high catch is possession, so there should not be a free given in addition to that. They could restrict the amount of players that can be near the player in possession, to reduce the chance of him being surrounded.

The tee is getting a bad press. It is slowing down the game. Quick kick-outs are no longer an option. They could make using the tee an option for goalkeepers to use if they want, but they should not be forced to use it.

The sin bin is really more suited to rugby as it is a far more physical game. You have to do something really nasty in rugby to get it. You can't compare a yellow card offence in rugby to one in Gaelic Football. The type of yellow card offences GAA players are now getting binned for do not deserve it. It should be reserved for very serious fouls or persistent fouling but not rudimentary yellow card offences.

The tip up should remain. It is a very simple skill and quick if executed properly. A bit of proper coaching would sort that problem. They could look at other situations where a player might be allowed to touch the ball while it is on the ground. They could be allowed to punch it away if they themselves are on the ground or something like that, keeping that element of the change.

We do have a tackle. It is called a shoulder. Anyway players can get the ball off a player without fouling him. Being able to get the ball without fouling is possible and that is what players have to try and do. Adding a tackle could make things worse to some extent, even if it is clearer from a rules point of view compared to what we have.

Waylander

Hee hee, Meath down to 12 players, I like that. I still do not agree with losing the pick up as I think it is one of the basic skills of the game, in fact when I started playing at under 9 I think it was the first thing coached to us. The sin bin in principle is a good idea, but like Flukey said, giving it for the average yellow card seems a little bit harsh, but they do not like to leave these things to the discretion of the ref, as the same foul will be punished differently by each ref.

Flukey

Meath, more than any county, are well used to being down to 12 players. I don't know what they are complaining about. Normally when they are down to 12 players the other 3 guys are not coming back.

E@gle.

i dont like the idea of the sin bin. Westmeath were playing longford last weekend
(2-19, 0-10 for westmeath) and 5 players got sin bined. 3 westmeath 2 longford.

Raoul Duke

Have to say I'm in favour of the sin bins but I don't think the GAA will have the courage to stick with it for a number of years. Fouling has become so ingrained into the sport now that it'll take years before the game settles down.

I haven't actually seen any game yet played under the new rules so I can't comment on whether the majority of sin binnings were harsh (which seems to be the vibe from reading the papers) or not. Maybe some tweaking is needed but not much. So what if Longford lost 2 men for a few minutes at the weekend. Westmeath lost players too. Like in rugby teams will have to go for the kill when the opposing team goes down to 14. It will add an extra dimension to the game with the cleanest team (in theory) having the advantage and who could argue with that?

Imposter

Firstly I haven't seen any games either with these new rules.

Sin-binning could work if referees follow the rules and don't give a guy a yellow card for a normally non-cardable offence just because an opponent is in the bin having a rest. Then it's the cleanest team that has a big advantage.

Also if teams are reduced a number of players the game will open up and probably be a more exciting game because of it. Remember the talk of making the championship 13-a-side? I've played 13-a-side competitions and it's a very interesting game where there's a lot more space, a lot more running for players but they probably need more of the traditional skills (accurate passing - kick passing especially, longish range points etc) than you do in the 15-a-side game.

KevIRL

My biggest issue is with the 2 points for a sideline cut in hurling. It is a fine skill to be sure but should a point scored from a sidline cut 20 metres out be worth twice as much as a point scored from over 100 meteres out from play? Also should it be worht more than a point scored from a guy who has broken through 4-5 players to send the ball over the bar?

Personally I think not. At the very least if they stick with 2 points for a sideline cut then they would have to bring in somthing like bastketball's 3 point line and any point scored from outside this line would be worth 2 also. Could get v v messy IMO.