Messages

U16 game. Full back is taking kickouts rather than the keeper.

Keeper must stand in the small square for the KO?

Can the first pass after the kickout go back to the keeper? Or can it not go back to either the kicker or the keeper?

In theory - provided there are no local rules implemented by the county board or juvenile board:

Keeper must stay inside the small rectangle if not taking the kickout.
After kicking the ball out the full back can receive an immediate pass but not the goalkeeper.

As a coach and referee, I've said for ages, people are trying to 'rule' their way into making the game more appeaseable for people.
Why spend time trying to draw up rules about numbers of handpasses, players in zones, backward passes?

One, well 2 changes which would work an absolute treat as far as I can see would be games played at 13 aside and removal of the forward mark.

- Addresses concerns about dropping men back as too much space to cover with 2 players less
- Harder on teams that rely on group tackling
- Rewards an attack minded team and also players who can make space and win ball, especially with ball kicked in earlier as a result of the space

Would be worth trialling it in a competition that actually means something to coaches and players i.e the Mac Rory Cup schools competition and the other provincial bodys comps

When you ask is there an apathy towards hurling?
I always feel as though that's a dressed up question and what is usually meant by it is
Why don't you football heads give hurling the time of day?

Largely the main reason is - they have no interest in it but people aren't happy to leave it at that - and people go so far as to want to push their interest onto other people.

As a hurling/football referee - I get message requests on a regular basis from camogie and ladies football clubs and personnel asking for me to referee games - I always say no - why - I have no interest in either sport.
This has on occasion led to further, and in some cases, stupid, comments being made by the requestees but I don't engage with them any further I just say I don't referee those sports.

I think what some people want at some level, is that hurling should be forced onto football people and in the counties were its role reversal the football people want the football to be forced onto hurling people.

As its one organisation - people have a perception that 'we' must be all encompassing and every county board should be pushing the 2 sports equally.
Yes I do agree on a few things regarding structural issues with the setup of hurling North of Dublin and there are also major issues with football but the increased numbers playing football mask a lot of this.
Where it becomes a problem is where one side actively sets out to do the other harm - and we all know of many many exmaples of this.

As a dual referee - the problem on Saturday was lack of knowledge by everyone except the referee.

The sky commentary team knew nothing of the rule citing distances - utter rubbish - if you don't know say nothing as it added to confusion and subsequent comments on social media.
As alluded to in an earlier post - who teaches players the rules and are coaches/players in tune with the rules and rule changes.

I'm sick hearing about square balls and players foot placement on line ball kicks and how I'm in the wrong for calling/not calling them.


The biggest issue for me is the lack of information coming from the GAA - and that goes for a lot of rules and rule changes.
Take the wording of the footblock - in rule the referee was 100% correct in both calls but changing the wording of the rule recently and not subsequently making that information public isn't right.

From a hurling perspective the lack of clarity in rules is very frustrating at present around head high challenges (and its creeping into football too) - we all get told at seminars about dangerous tackling/contact above the shoulder and how it should be a red but;

In the 2019 All Ireland semi final - Richie Hogan gets taken out by a cork player - head high contact - no red card
In the 2019 All Ireland final - Richie Hogan hits Cathal Barrett - head high contact - red card
Last Saturdays Leinster final - 2 incidents where players are both hit to the head - no red card for either

and the above games were all refereed by the same person.

Id they don't deal with rules and give public the info it just enables chaos on matchdays

Yesterday in Ballybofey.
Rian O Neills 'goal'.

Anyone care to offer an opinion on what the free out was awarded for?
What could the referee have done differently?
If the same call happens this weekend in another high profile game what would the referee this week have learnt from Sunday?

Also point of clarification for anyone thinking I'm griping - I'm not...
My username points to my affiliated club and I am no supporter of Armagh football 

It's a pity alot of the German cars are now boring and fugly looking. They haven't really moved on with their designs. People like paying for the badge which is fair enough if that's what they want but there isn't a BMW or Audi or VW I'd buy right now as I think they all look bland.
Actually I would like the VW Arteon but that's about it.
I know they are owned by German companies now but the Skodas and Seats are better looking cars now imo.

I liked the Superb Estate but nearly every one on the road now is a cop car which has put me right off them. I like the Volvo V90 Estate but no idea about reliability.

Im in a Volvo V60 - bought late 2019 and have put 50k miles on

Great car
Roomy - easy to drop seats etc for golf clubs and larger loads
Running wise solid and quiet on the road
Economy wise 40-44 mpg without aircon which drops to 35-38 when running

Some of the tech is brilliant and safety features are good
No space saver wheel or puncture repair kit as standard so had to purchase one after i realised 

Having moved from passat to mazda 6 to 2 different mondeos I can safely say ill be in a volvo for while to come

The reality is that county management at the top level is as much about delegating responsibility and appointing the right people around you to do their jobs.

And herein lies the reason why some deem him as more of a failure than a success at Inter County level.
Appointments from the Class of 02 primarily - some of which you wouldn't let run a bath let alone a line in an intercounty setup.

To overcome a problem you sometimes have to take an outsider looking in with a critical eye - yes men who all want to get along with each other will talk around a problem but often fail in addressing the problem.

When Mc Corry came in he seemed to nudge things in a slightly different way - now with Donaghys appointment maybe the change is happening. For a while though that backroom team was tactically and analytically very poor.

Change/rules should progressive per age,

U11.5 - Use smart touch on smaller pitches with modified rules.
U13 - Use size 4 with larger playing area. Kickouts and 45m kicks from hands.
U15 - Use size 4 on full size pitches with kickouts and 45m kicks from the ground.
U17 - Move to size 5 with full normal rules.

Id also be a fan of game timings being progressive as age develops. e.g:

U11.5 - 4 x 10 mins
U13 - 3 x 15 mins
U15 - 3 x 20 mins
U17 - 2 x 30 mins

Long story short is that there are too many competitions for certain players with competitions overstretched to gain the most out of them in terms of revenues - inevitably this leads to overlapping commitments which will draw clashes.

Clubs want their players and at some ages want them for multiple teams and possibly committed to both Gaelic and Hurling.
Counties at senior level and underage are no different and then throw in Schools/Colleges.

Demands for players is the wrecking the player and ultimately the games suffer as a consequence.
I regularly speak to our underage players in my clubs that play with a number of teams and its cringeworthy what you hear.
These lads are 15-18 and its ridiculous what's asked of them yet in cases were we, as in the gaa family, force them from the game when it gets too much we all sit back and ignore it or say they werent cut out for it!!

The only way I see the GAA solving the overlap of players playing with multiple squads, multiple competitions, and competing training/match schedules is to go down a route similar to rugby where player availability is restricted to certain competitions.

Players have to put front and centre - not the people above them wanting to 'solve' the crisis while sitting with their rose tinted glasses on.

Don't think the advanced mark will be too problematic other than bad positioning on the part of the referee.
I refereed 5 games before they stopped activity and in each game there was 1 adv mark given, but not taken.

Again the kick-outs wont be a major problem in my opinion. Referees should speak to keepers prior to game or on the first opportunity in the game and quickly run them through the rule - keepers will appreciate this and in most cases coaches wont have told them the correct rule.

The new sinbin will be problematic doing a game on my own. Outside of refs meeting and with coaches/manager I have debated whether we would see more or less blacks shown as easier for a ref to sinbin for 10mins than end his game maybe in the earlier stages of a game. General consensus was less will be shown as could be too much of an imposition on a referee unless he has neutrals with him on line and posts to help keep him right.

Im looking forward to getting back at it again - first match on Thursday evening...

Not the case. You don't have to shoot for a score, you can pass to another teammate but they can't call a mark from this.

Sorry your right, what I meant was he has to play the ball within the time, can't be a second mark though

Can't wait for the club leagues to start 

I'd two games on Sunday, a mistake in both, not life threatening at the moment but I'd say come championship it will be bedlam

Back at the football whistling myself this year - first time in 4 years. (have been refereeing hurling)

Jaysus what has football become!
3 games in and thankfully haven't make any obvious errors but early days.

From the 3 games (senior, U18) I can see the offensive mark being an issue in big club matches.
The black card and timings will be a disaster to keep an eye on, and multiple black cards will be carnage!

Good luck to us all for 2020 

[Oh and if a defender/keeper catches that forward Mark he can have it by making the sign for a mark, a raised hand]

Sin bin is ten minutes regardless of delays like injuries during that period.

Forward mark rule kick must be played before the 45 and travel 20 meters and the player MUST make a hand in air sign.

He's 15 seconds to play ball, it's a clean catch Mark called,  should he not and tries to take a mark he'll be done for over carrying, players can tackle straight away for a forward mark should he want to play on. Oh and if a defender/keeper catches that forward Mark he can have it by making the sign for a mark, a raised hand.

Can't wait to get back to the refereeing this year! 
Although as a dual referee I can see myself turning down football games in favour of hurling

Across the Armagh clubs the consensus seemed to be that the 1/2 years this past year have helped but the potential changes coming down the road could be catastrophic.

Within our club we benefitted in 2019 in keeping the 18.5 older players for another year before the move to senior/stop playing - which is a great thing.
But we also encountered issues as we play in other county leagues which weren't 1/2 years - this caused issues with too much game time for some players at different stages in the year.
Also competing in All Ireland Feile at U14 was an issue as well midway through season.

Looking to 2020 when football people (I coach both) are suggesting that club football could go under in some areas in Armagh I can only imagine the damage that will be done to hurling.

Is a team allowed to change the goalkeepper to an outfield player if a penalty is awarded??  This is only a temporary change for the penalty kick.

Yes - an outfield player can stand in goals for a penalty but if he wears the outfield jersey he can not expect the same benefits of a goalkeeper in regards lifting the ball off the ground in the small rectangle.

Some good news, the motion was approved.

Poor news for some clubs and players.
Feels like some clubs looking for short term gains/success in my opinion.
Pity it was passed at all. Creates a load of issues for clubs and teams in preparing for new season.

In our own club, we enter neighbouring county leagues for more quality games - this makes a mess of preparing and building a team.

One player for example could now be eligible for games at U13, U14.5, and U15 without playing above his age - madness