Rule Change Needed to Stop Puke Keep-Ball

[Jinxy]

I think the short kick-out and resulting slow build-up play has a knock on effect beyond the initial 'post-restart' phase because it has a significant bearing on where players are on the field.
Now, if the kick-out is going beyond the 45m line, in most cases you will have the 4 midfielders contesting primary possession with some half-backs and half-forwards throwing themselves into the mix.
But they have to be careful about how they do this.
With the mark rule, if a midfielder from either side wins clean possession he will be looking to off-load to a runner coming through from the defensive half.
That runner will not be facing into a wall of bodies as the opposition had to plan for the possibility that THEY might have won that kick-out and THEY would be on the attack.

If someone asked me what era of football I was trying to recreate, I would say the period from 2005-2010.
If you could go back to that time and simply introduce the mark alone, I think that would genuinely be the pinnacle of football.
You can't go back to the 90's or further back because the players are too athletic and cover too much ground.
I remember people used to lament how little the ball was actually in-play in gaelic football.
I'd wager the ball is in-play for longer now, but that's due to teams meandering all over the field without doing anything.
I'd rather brief periods of high-intensity football than long periods of low-intensity football, any day of the week.

[BennyCake]

This is incredibly simple imo. The game is crap because it's too easy to retain possession. Teams won't push up because there's no point, they wont be able to turn the ball over.

Bring the handpass back to close fist. Much harder to to get a closed fist handpass off while being tackled than an open hand. Harder to keep it accurate also. You'll soon see teams pressure high up when turnovers are happening regularly.

I agree with you there.
Any rule change I've suggested is designed to reintroduce the idea of a contest for possession.
That's what people want to see.
Some people here seem to be of the view that the entertainment value doesn't matter, it's all about technical ability, efficiency, playing smart etc.
They need to appreciate that a lot of people are watching the game out of habit now, i.e. this is what you do during the summer, you watch the football.
They know they're not going to enjoy it.
If we sit on our hands and do nothing, pretty soon people will get out of the habit of going to games for definite but they'll also eventually lose interest in even watching on TV.
I know that process has already started for me and I've played and watched gaelic football most of my life.

I concur.

[sid waddell]

Tactical innovation changes games and it always has done. And that's how it should be, organic change, rather than bringing in ridiculous rules that have unintended consequences. The game has always changed and innovated and you'll always get luddites complaining that "it was better in my day".

Kerry people moaned when Tyrone players clattered into them from every angle in 2003. Kerry adapted and won three of the next four All-Irelands.

People moaned when Jim McGuinness put 14 players behind the ball. "The footballing superbug", said Joe Brolly. First Monaghan, then Mayo, and then Dublin adapted and figured Donegal out, and now its old hat.

People moan when Dublin keep possession. Well guess what, all field sports have evolved into possession games because all sports are influenced by sports science and statistics. Dublin couldn't play keep ball against Mayo, because Mayo's tactics wouldn't let them.

Possession as a tactic will cut down on massed defences and force teams to push more players up, and make the game more open, and better. Smart opposition coaches will see that. It already is doing that.

And when teams have to push players up, you automatically get more contests for possession.

[BennyCake]

Players wear vests weighed down with lead.

Slow them down. Make them use their craft and guile, make the ball do the work. You'll see a better game then.

[sid waddell]

Players wear vests weighed down with lead.

Slow them down. Make them use their craft and guile, make the ball do the work. You'll see a better game then.

Already been suggested.

Why not make Gaelic football like horse racing and introduce a weight handicap system?

Each player on the better teams would be forced to carry a specially weighted vest to slow them down.

Division 4 teams would carry no weight.

Division 3 teams would carry a weight of 1kg.

Division 2 teams would carry a weight of 2 kg.

Dicision 1 teams would carry 4kg.

Then, to really even things out, Dublin players would each have to carry 10kg.

It works in horse racing, so why not in Gaelic football?!

[Jinxy]

Sid, you seem to view all of this through the prism of Dublin.
If Dublin were the problem, we'd see loads of brilliant games every year not involving them.
It's not about Dublin playing keep ball against everyone else.
It's about practically everyone playing keep ball against practically everyone else.

Sports scientists would no doubt call it 'controlling the controllables'.
Have you ever heard a crowd cheering a short kick-out to a corner-back?
Contrast this with the reaction when a ball is fielded at midfield, or a defender wins a 50:50 ball with a forward, or a corner forward takes on his man (instead of three men) and buries the ball in the back of the net.
A game based on efficiency and control is admirable, but there's no joy in it.
We need to replace some of the science with art.

[sid waddell]

Sid, you seem to view all of this through the prism of Dublin.
If Dublin were the problem, we'd see loads of brilliant games every year not involving them.
It's not about Dublin playing keep ball against everyone else.
It's about practically everyone playing keep ball against practically everyone else.

Sports scientists would no doubt call it 'controlling the controllables'.
Have you ever heard a crowd cheering a short kick-out to a corner-back?
Contrast this with the reaction when a ball is fielded at midfield, or a defender wins a 50:50 ball with a forward, or a corner forward takes on his man (instead of three men) and buries the ball in the back of the net.
A game based on efficiency and control is admirable, but there's no joy in it.
We need to replace some of the science with art.

There were loads of brilliant games not involving Dubin this year.

Failure is the ultimate tactic-destroyer.

Adapt or die.

[Franko]

This is incredibly simple imo. The game is crap because it's too easy to retain possession. Teams won't push up because there's no point, they wont be able to turn the ball over.

Bring the handpass back to close fist. Much harder to to get a closed fist handpass off while being tackled than an open hand. Harder to keep it accurate also. You'll soon see teams pressure high up when turnovers are happening regularly.

In a nutshell*.

Enforce the steps rule.
Closed fist pass only.

These small, subtle changes will make a big difference.  The rest are sledgehammer/nut* proposals with a myriad of unintended consequences.

*Just saw what I did there

[Jinxy]

Sid, you seem to view all of this through the prism of Dublin.
If Dublin were the problem, we'd see loads of brilliant games every year not involving them.
It's not about Dublin playing keep ball against everyone else.
It's about practically everyone playing keep ball against practically everyone else.

Sports scientists would no doubt call it 'controlling the controllables'.
Have you ever heard a crowd cheering a short kick-out to a corner-back?
Contrast this with the reaction when a ball is fielded at midfield, or a defender wins a 50:50 ball with a forward, or a corner forward takes on his man (instead of three men) and buries the ball in the back of the net.
A game based on efficiency and control is admirable, but there's no joy in it.
We need to replace some of the science with art.

There were loads of brilliant games not involving Dubin this year.

Failure is the ultimate tactic-destroyer.

Adapt or die.

If that's your opinion, fair enough.
For me, there were a handful of good games that appeared better than they were because we are applying a relative standard as opposed to an absolute standard.

[BennyCake]

Players wear vests weighed down with lead.

Slow them down. Make them use their craft and guile, make the ball do the work. You'll see a better game then.

Already been suggested.

Why not make Gaelic football like horse racing and introduce a weight handicap system?

Each player on the better teams would be forced to carry a specially weighted vest to slow them down.

Division 4 teams would carry no weight.

Division 3 teams would carry a weight of 1kg.

Division 2 teams would carry a weight of 2 kg.

Dicision 1 teams would carry 4kg.

Then, to really even things out, Dublin players would each have to carry 10kg.

It works in horse racing, so why not in Gaelic football?!

Damn you Sid! 

[Jinxy]

Dublin players should have to carry each other.

[Jinxy]

Niall Moyna on OTB earlier.
I'd agree with him that we can't afford to let this cycle (if that's what it is) run its course.

https://twitter.com/offtheball/status/1039264754697613312

[Itchy]

Each team must field at least 5 fat f**kers. Problem solved.

[Rossfan]

Mark out 14 squares on the field
1 player from each team must remain in each square at all times.
If you get the ball you must kick it forward within 5 seconds.
Leaving your square or not playing the ball within 5 seconds =Penalty .



Better put one if tgese in for the Ulster lads 

[Cunny Funt]

Tactical innovation changes games and it always has done. And that's how it should be, organic change, rather than bringing in ridiculous rules that have unintended consequences. The game has always changed and innovated and you'll always get luddites complaining that "it was better in my day".

Kerry people moaned when Tyrone players clattered into them from every angle in 2003. Kerry adapted and won three of the next four All-Irelands.

People moaned when Jim McGuinness put 14 players behind the ball. "The footballing superbug", said Joe Brolly. First Monaghan, then Mayo, and then Dublin adapted and figured Donegal out, and now its old hat.

People moan when Dublin keep possession. Well guess what, all field sports have evolved into possession games because all sports are influenced by sports science and statistics. Dublin couldn't play keep ball against Mayo, because Mayo's tactics wouldn't let them.

Possession as a tactic will cut down on massed defences and force teams to push more players up, and make the game more open, and better. Smart opposition coaches will see that. It already is doing that.

And when teams have to push players up, you automatically get more contests for possession.

Short memory? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48KbVIFEFnU&t=8s