Defending national senior camogie league champions Galway begin the defence of their title on Sunday in Blanchardstown against Dublin (2pm) while the Galway intermediate team start their Division 2 campaign against Kerry in Gort on Saturday at 1pm.
In Division 1 of the national camogie league, Galway are in Group 2 alongside Dublin, Limerick and Tipperary while Group 2 includes Cork, Waterford, Offaly, Clare and Kilkenny. The top team in each group will qualify for the final. In Division 2, Galway are in Group 1 along with Kerry, Down, Derry and Wexford.
One feature of this weekend's national camogie league action will be the introduction of new playing rules on a trial basis, including the allowing of contact and the abolition of the hand pass goal. The Galway senior and intermediate manager Cathal Murray has been speaking to Tommy Devane ahead of a busy weekend...
The six Trial Playing Rules being implemented are:
- Approved Trial Playing Rule 1: Contact
A player may use minimal contact on an opponent’s body from side-on, once they are making a reasonable effort to gain possession of the sliotar. Minimal contact is described as contact made while making a reasonable attempt to gain possession of the sliotar. Contact must not be made in an aggressive or cynical manner. Penalty: Free from where foul occurred except as provided in Rules 11.2 – 11.12.
- Approved Trial Playing Rule 2: Persistent Foul
A player who is deemed to be persistently fouling another player in the first instance will be noted by the Referee. For any further infringement normal rules apply.
- Approved Trial Playing Rule 3: Quick Puck-out
To restart the game following a wide/score (Rule 9.5), the Referee will blow the whistle to signal a wide/score and from that point the sliotar is back in play and the goalkeeper is free to restart the game via a puck-out from the correct position. The Referee will have discretion to stop the play.
- Approved Trial Playing Rule 4: Free from the hand
A player may choose to take a quick free from their hand if they are fouled inside their own 45-metre line. Only the player that is fouled can take it from the hand and it is an indirect free.
- Approved Trial Playing Rule 5: Dropping the Hurley and Hand-pass Goal (9.6.i. and 9.6.f)
Should a player deliberately drop their hurley then this will result in a free to the opposing team from where the foul occurred. Any sliotar that is hand-passed directly into the net by an attacking player will be treated as a wide and therefore result in a puck-out.
- Approved Trial Playing Rule 6: Penalty/20-metre free (11.2 and 11.3)
A penalty must be struck from on or outside the 20-metre line but not inside it. In addition, only one defending player may stand on the goal-line during a penalty and shall not move towards the 20-metre line before the sliotar has been struck. Where any free is awarded on or near the 20-metre line, the free must be struck from on or outside the 20-metre line. No free/penalty may be struck from within the 20-metre line or within 20 metres of the goal. Penalty: Free out to the opposing team where the infringement occurred.
