Gaelic Football RIP

[blewuporstuffed]

This is just putting a rule in place to bring us back to slower restarts and kickouts to midfield. 

Refereeing it should be doable. The lines men and referee could ensure between them that the kickout isn't taken until just 4 players were between the 45, but tbf, the half backs and half forwards would be bursting to come into the midfield area before the kickout is taken. So the officials need to watch for players breaking the line with some sort of penalty for doing so.  That's probably the difficult part.

The half forwards and half backs would be pushed up tight on the 45, so you would still have them coming into compete for breaking ball.
Restarts would be more like a 50-50, so you would have no incentive to flood your own defence as you may find that you win possession without support up front.  For teams with a weaker midfield, kicking off the tee presents the option of kicking long into the space on the wings for a wing back or wing forward to run on to.  In fairness, Beggan has been dropping kickouts inside the oppositions 45. Both of these factors would encourage more man to man marking.

Why do we want slower restarts?

[yellowcard]

There is definitely merit in this suggestion surrounding the kickouts.

As with all of these things though, the GAA is very much a reactionary rather than a proactive organisation so you are probably looking at a minimum 18 month timescale before anything is done to address these growing concerns about the state of gaelic football.

Or worse still they will just meander on and do nothing because a few county managers are up in arms at the thought of having to figure out a new gameplan since their current one aimed at stifling opponents might become redundant.

[APM]

This is just putting a rule in place to bring us back to slower restarts and kickouts to midfield. 

Refereeing it should be doable. The lines men and referee could ensure between them that the kickout isn't taken until just 4 players were between the 45, but tbf, the half backs and half forwards would be bursting to come into the midfield area before the kickout is taken. So the officials need to watch for players breaking the line with some sort of penalty for doing so.  That's probably the difficult part.

The half forwards and half backs would be pushed up tight on the 45, so you would still have them coming into compete for breaking ball.
Restarts would be more like a 50-50, so you would have no incentive to flood your own defence as you may find that you win possession without support up front.  For teams with a weaker midfield, kicking off the tee presents the option of kicking long into the space on the wings for a wing back or wing forward to run on to.  In fairness, Beggan has been dropping kickouts inside the oppositions 45. Both of these factors would encourage more man to man marking.

Why do we want slower restarts?

Nostalgia, obviously 

I like the fast restarts in much the same way as I wouldn't want to go back to all frees being taken from the ground.  However, I do think preventing the quick kickout levels the playing field against the semi-professional approach.  Teams like Dublin get a big advantage I feel in the fourth quarter of games with ultra-fast restarts.  Teams with even slightly lower levels of fitness will struggle to get back into position.  However, I do see it both ways, as getting ready for a kickout is often as much to do with discipline and organisation as fitness.

[Jinxy]

I'd quite happily swap faster restarts for a faster game.
Take the example of a short kick-out to a defender who makes his way up the field.
By the time the ball reaches the opposition 45m line the bulk of the players from both teams are now in that area.
With the kick-out rule I suggested, the ball is effectively bypassing 12 players.
If you win a clean ball at midfield and lay it off, or even just break it to one of your HB line coming through, you can actually run straight and hard at the opposition defence.
If you take the mark, you have loads of options.
You could also have the opposition HB line running back to provide cover for their FB line, which would create space for your HB line coming through.
If the opposition HB line feel they need to stay in place to prevent this, then that means more space for your FF line.
Modern teams understandably want to play a percentage game.
You have possession, you keep possession.
That is their prerogative.
It's the sensible and scientific thing to do but it's also incredibly boring to watch.
Restarts are the area where we can rebalance this somewhat.

[Franko]

The problem as I see it is that it is too difficult to dispossess an opponent who is carrying the ball without giving away a free.  Hence, when keep-ball is key, people prefer to carry the ball and pass short.

So, as an initial (and very tentative) step towards making the game more palatable for spectators, I'd tell referees to focus on 2 things;

1.   Properly enforce the overcarrying rule
2.   Stop blowing frees for every bit of incidental contact.  Ref it like hurling.  After a while players and fans will stop moaning and realise that they don't get a free every time they lie down on their arse.

The result would hopefully be that it is less easy for teams to play keep-ball and more enticing to go for the yardage option.

[Jinxy]

Yep, county level only and ideally with a ref in each half.
Plonk a linesman on each 45m line, and give him one job, and one job only, when a kick-out is being taken.
Nobody crosses this line until the ball is kicked.

[yellowcard]

https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2015/0713/714501-mick-oconnell/

Good article from a few years ago with the great Mick O'Connell and his thought's on the game.

What has changed in the intervening years? Nothing, I would say. The mark has been a limited success but the game is more and more about running, possession and athletic ability.

So I expect that we will just linger on as the spectacle deteriorates further still. It's the GAA way, no foresight. Only when it reaches crisis point will something be done.

[Jinxy]

To be honest, I'd settle for kick-outs just having to cross the 45m line at this stage.
With no restrictions on where anyone goes on the field.
I just can't stand watching teams jog up the field unopposed as the opposition funnels numbers back inside their 45m line.
Lash it out to midfield and let everybody fight it out.

[Jinxy]

If the rule change was simply to require all kick-outs at county level to cross the 45m line, would you still have an issue with that, HS?
It doesn't fundamentally change the game vs. club level, as you're basically just making the keeper's mind up for him.
"Sometimes you go long, sometimes you go short? Well from now on you go long all the time."
I'd introduce the same rule at club level only a lot of keepers wouldn't be able to clear the 45m line.

[Jinxy]

Is there anything you think we could do to improve the game as a spectacle?

[Milltown Row2]

Jesus lad leave it well alone, no matter what sort of rule change you make it will be analysed and dissected by the managers and tacticians and something will be put in place to gain an advantage..

Football is an evolving game, unlike hurling which in its truest form is 15 on 15 going at it once they cross the line... not too many teams that use the sweeper systems or 3 in midfield or any other tactic come away with the top prize
A team comes through every so often and Dublin is that team at the minute, the hat has to just come off and celebrate a decent side that is able to adopt and bring in young players to a system of play and keep it ticking over..
Counties should be looking at themselves and get their own house in order and improve their own before looking at changes which 'might' help them against Dublin

[High Fielder]

Jesus lad leave it well alone, no matter what sort of rule change you make it will be analysed and dissected by the managers and tacticians and something will be put in place to gain an advantage..

Football is an evolving game, unlike hurling which in its truest form is 15 on 15 going at it once they cross the line... not too many teams that use the sweeper systems or 3 in midfield or any other tactic come away with the top prize
A team comes through every so often and Dublin is that team at the minute, the hat has to just come off and celebrate a decent side that is able to adopt and bring in young players to a system of play and keep it ticking over..
Counties should be looking at themselves and get their own house in order and improve their own before looking at changes which 'might' help them against Dublin

So every county should go semi professional?

[Jinxy]

Are you worried that people will lose interest in the game or do you think this is just a cycle we're going through?

[blewuporstuffed]

The problem as I see it is that it is too difficult to dispossess an opponent who is carrying the ball without giving away a free.  Hence, when keep-ball is key, people prefer to carry the ball and pass short.

So, as an initial (and very tentative) step towards making the game more palatable for spectators, I'd tell referees to focus on 2 things;

1.   Properly enforce the overcarrying rule
2.   Stop blowing frees for every bit of incidental contact.  Ref it like hurling.  After a while players and fans will stop moaning and realise that they don't get a free every time they lie down on their arse.

The result would hopefully be that it is less easy for teams to play keep-ball and more enticing to go for the yardage option.

I agree with you there.
Its those sorts of subtle tweaks to the game that are more likely to improve the game than drastic rule changes

[Hound]

People tend to focus on the negatives it seems.

Last year Dublin and Mayo played in a fantastic All Ireland Final. In fact, barring the odd exception mainly due to bad weather, all championship games involving Kerry, Mayo and Dublin have been crackers. 

The likes of Kildare, Meath, Roscommon, Laois, Armagh have been involved in really good games over the last couple of years. Donegal's style improved markedly this year, at least until the business end and maybe that was to do with losing McBrearty. That one high profile 10 minutes where they refused to come out and Dublin refused to give them the ball has got more attention than any of the good games this year.

The Omagh game between Dubs and Tyrone was more than decent this year, and I've feeling the final will be better again as Tyrone will know that all out defence will not cut it if they want Celtic Crosses.