'Physicality'

[Jell 0 Biafra]

How about a straight red for fouls like those, rather than messing around with a black card?

[omagh_gael]

Only the Armagh and Kildare challenges were worth more than a yellow. Some of the others not even meriting a yellow. And none are actually examples of the systematic fouling by forwards like Murphy, McFadden, Conor Laverty, Tyrone or Mayo that this new card is supposed to eradicate.

The Galway one was the most obvious, clearest goal scoring opportunity.

[Dinny Breen]

[INDIANA]

Its like anything it will take time getting used to.

But let's not kid ourselves the game needs cleaning up.

The Mayo v Donegal match was a prime example of everything that is bad in the game yesterday.

If you make it unattractive for teams to delibarately foul then they'll have to play football.

Don't be listening to people saying there is nothing wrong with the game. That suits their agenda of puke football whereby good players get taken out.

The emphasis on the hit man has been allowed to develop and prosper and its time the balance was redressed. This ain't perfect but its a start.

[Fuzzman]

I would have to agree Indiana. The game does need cleaning up.
It's all fine and dandy for managers who's county have won nothing for years to take a team like Donegal, Tyrone or Armagh (only 3 examples but no mean all of them) and have the attitude we need to toughen up. Play the percentages and upset how the other "Big Guns" are playing.
Ye even saw it with Real Madrid kicking Barcelona off the pitch in several games. It was ugly but it worked and last year Madrid won the title.

What happens then is our fans respect what the manager has done. Most Donegal fans (and probably players) didn't like the style of football they played the last 2 years. Yes it got better last year but fans  are willing to say to hell with it, it's better to be winning titles by playing ugly and bending rules as far as they can, rather than being the nice boys that play nice clean football and get nowhere.

Galway have been the other side of this coin over the last 10 years or more. Whilst they have given Kerry some cracker matches, they haven't won any tough worthwhile match. So as astute new managers see this progress they think OK we could be as good as Tyrone or Donegal so we'll go down the same path. So its got to the stage now that most teams realise they have to go to that level of defensive, negative, stop the other team at all costs type of football if they want to beat them.

Its too easy to get embroiled in the battle with say Donegal and try to beat them at their own game and then say we won a very high intensity battle. It was a great game. It's only great cos ye won it I suspect. Will we hear the line Donegal were out-Donegaled this year?

If ye think back at how outraged we were of the Aussies when they came here and treated us with huge lack of respect and used all sorts of negative tactics to ruffle us. In my eyes we're doing that ourselves now. It's nothing to do with being manly or making the game less physical. Its to stop the game becoming a terrible spectacle and at the moment that's what it is.

[DUBSFORSAM1]

What I'd love to see is if the managers who are complaining about this rule get knocked out of the championship by a cynical foul.....ie Murphy/O'Neil etc through on goal in the All-Ireland final and they get taken out early with no punishment for the opposition...and see how they would deal with it...

[rrhf]

The carry on in that photo is a disgrace.  To me "biting" "pummelling with the elbow"  and "gouging" are as punishable as spitting.  There is nothing but violence in that pic and if you ask me off the ball violence is the biggest single reason why kids would not take on our game.  It takes a one off type of animal to spit but to engage in this is more accepted and commonplace and normally brushed under the carpet - To call diving, spitting whatever, the biggest problem in the game is ignoring this activity.  I think the GPA need to call their players to book and establish a code of conduct.   

[J70]

What's going on in that photo is way worse than spitting. You can clean your face off and get on with it. You can't brush off a damaged eye or a concussion or worse.

[J70]

I've no problem with the new rules. I didn't like these tactics when they were used against us for years, and while I've no problem with us adapting them of late to level the playing field, eradicating them can only help the game.

[Hardy]

What I'd love to see is if the managers who are complaining about this rule get knocked out of the championship by a cynical foul.....ie Murphy/O'Neil etc through on goal in the All-Ireland final and they get taken out early with no punishment for the opposition...and see how they would deal with it...

And giving a black card to the offender, after the goal is prevented by a foul, would keep them in the championship?

I think people are confused between deterrents and penalties.

[Zulu]

Hardy your deterrent of a 13m wouldn't keep them in the championship either and there is no deterrent/penalty that will in certain circumstances. I don't think we can eradicate the type of foul Cadogan committed on Murphy but the black card can eradicate that type of foul out the field or the one where players grab at the hips to prevent the man in possession moving or transferring  the ball in their own defence or midfield.

As I said before your option is one I'd support but it has weaknesses, like the black card, but something did need to be done and now that the black card is the option chosen lets see how it works out. 

[Wildweasel74]

From that picture there, how Kissane will avoid getting of without a suspension is beyond me. A deliberate elbow smash into Galvin head if this photo is anything to go on. Of course someone will say this is part and parcel of the game, tuh tuh, but the intend is all over his face.

[Ard-Rí]

A deliberate elbow smash into Galvin head if this photo is anything to go on.

Of course if that is the case then he deserves a suspension. But the picture may be deceptive in that regard ... I notice he seems to be hitting his other arm at the time, possibly this happened very quickly and it just looks bad. That's giving him the benefit of the doubt of course.

[Hardy]

Exactly. Do people really think that photo is all the evidence you need to decide what's going on in that incident? Have you never ended up with someone's finger in your eye or your ear or mouth in a tussle? How would you react to a charge that you were biting him? Likewise, has your hand never ended up where you didn't intend it to be? (Jokes taken as read.)

The picture seems to show Kissane going in high with the arm/elbow, but there is no evidence in this still as to which direction everybody is moving in. Kissane could just as easily be protecting his face against Galvin lunging or falling into him.

The camera is an awful liar. That's why still pictures are not accepted as evidence of anything but identity and location.

[sans pessimism]

You can't drag someone down if you can't catch them!

up is the only way ya could drag ye at the moment