Galway senior football manager Padraig Joyce was recently appointed as the manager of the Connacht football squad for the upcoming Interprovincial series in Croke Park. On Friday, October 18th Leinster play Connacht in the first semi-final at 6 pm, followed by the meeting of Munster and Ulster at 8 pm. The following day the two defeated provinces meet at 5.30 pm and the winning teams play at 7.30 pm. Tickets for the games are on sale from usual outlets at €15 for adults and €5 for children and provide entry to all four games over the two days. Next weekend’s interprovincial football series will be a key showcase for the FRC’s new rule ‘enhancements’ according to Jim Gavin, who said they will serve to allow the body to present the evidence of their work to the GAA’s decision-makers. “We’ve done a body of work. We’ve come up with these proposals. We had over 7,000 responses to the survey – which is phenomenal, double the amount they got in 2014. Over 5,000 bits of individual texts, be it in letters or emails. And the top five things people want to see – which is no surprise – are: kicking passing, high fielding, long-range scores, goal scoring and one-to-one contests.” The 7 rule enhancements being trialled are:
1 v 1 throw-in to start the game
At the start of both halves, the referee would begin the game by throwing the ball in to just one player from each team. This would encourage the skill of high fielding and produce a contest for possession that would be exciting to watch for supporters.
40-metre scoring arc and new scoring system
The introduction of a new 40-metre scoring arc around both sets of goalposts would facilitate a new scoring system. Points scored from on or outside the 40 metre arc would be worth two points with points scored from within the 40 metre arc worth one point. A goal would be worth four points. Converted 45s would continue to be worth one point. The referee would raise both arms to signal to their umpire that a two-pointer has been scored and a coloured flag that would signal a two-pointer is also under consideration. These potential rule enhancements would encourage teams to attempt more long-range points and try to engineer more goal-scoring opportunities.
Kick-outs
Kick-outs would be taken from the 20-metre line and must go beyond the 40-metre arc. Players can be positioned behind the 20-metre line when the goalkeeper kicks the ball out. If an opposition player interferes with the goalkeeper or intercepts the ball within the 40 metre arc then the ball would be brought forward 50 metres. Requiring goalkeepers to kick the ball beyond the 40-metre arc would lead to more contests for possession. Allowing players to remain behind the 20-metre line would speed up the kick-out.
'Solo and Go'
A player who is fouled has the option of continuing play by taking a ‘solo and go’ rather than pausing play to take a free. It doesn’t have to be the player who is fouled that takes the ‘solo and go’. For example, if a player was grounded by a foul they could hand the ball to their nearest team-mate who could then take the ‘solo and go’. Still being teased out by the committee is when the player who takes a ‘solo and go’ can be tackled by the opposition. Options include allowing the player who takes the ‘solo and go’ to take four steps before being tackled, or to carry the ball a defined number of metres before being tackled. In trial matches the ‘solo and go’ has significantly speeded up the game.
Advanced mark
You can claim an offensive mark if you field a ball inside the 20-metre line that has been kicked from outside the 45-metre line. But, rather than stop and claim the mark, players can instead continue to play and attempt to score from open play. The referee plays advantage and if none accrues then the ball is brought back for the mark. Rather than limit an advantage to five seconds, consideration is being given to allowing referees to give advantage for as long as there’s positive momentum. This potential rule enhancement combined with a four-point goal should incentivise teams to kick long into forwards and would reward the skills of kick-passing and high fielding. It would also potentially lead to more goal-scoring chances.
Limits on passing to the goalkeeper
A player may only pass the ball to their goalkeeper if both they and the goalkeeper are inside the large rectangle or if the goalkeeper has advanced beyond their own 65-yard line. The goalkeeper can still move up the field to challenge the opposition kick-out or attempt to intercept a pass from the opposition. This potential rule enhancement would cut down on back-passing to goalkeepers, incentivise teams to push up on opposition defenders, and create more contests for possession.
3/3 Up/Back
This rule enhancement under consideration would oblige both teams to always have a minimum of three players inside each 65-yard line. So, if you’re the defending team, you must keep three outfield players inside the opposition ’65 and defend with a maximum of 11 players outside it. If a defending player retreats beyond the ’65 to give his team a numerical advantage then they would concede a free on their own 13 metre line to the opposition. If a player carries the ball past their own ’65 and leaves less than three team-mates behind them then a free is given to the opposition at the point where they crossed the line. By having to keep three up and three back, space should be created for the attacking team. If the defending team turns the ball over they’d have an opportunity to kick in the counter-attack to which should lead to more end-to-end action.
Ahead of the Interprovincial series. Padraig Joyce has been looking ahead to the games with Jonathan Higgins...
