Gaelic Football - Rules & Regulations discussion/clarification

[FermGael]

Game is to be replayed

https://fermanagh.gaa.ie/westville-hotel-senior-football-league-division-1-final/

[Milltown Row2]

Game is to be replayed

https://fermanagh.gaa.ie/westville-hotel-senior-football-league-division-1-final/

That's fair, if the evidence is so correct, as it was in this case then the right result was a replay.

Watched it a couple of times and the ref just got caught out with the cross-field ball and he found himself quickly out of position to see the lines

I'm going to give him a by ball on that, same for the linesmen at the minute, they are mainly instructed to watch for the breach which has them a lot of the time looking back and counting numbers and not actually keeping up with play..

I'd encourage county boards at the knockout stages to have a 4th official who's job is solely on that role and dealing with subs. Linesmen's roles need to be supporting the ref during play and keeping up with play

[David McKeown]

Game is to be replayed

https://fermanagh.gaa.ie/westville-hotel-senior-football-league-division-1-final/

That's fair, if the evidence is so correct, as it was in this case then the right result was a replay.

Watched it a couple of times and the ref just got caught out with the cross-field ball and he found himself quickly out of position to see the lines

I'm going to give him a by ball on that, same for the linesmen at the minute, they are mainly instructed to watch for the breach which has them a lot of the time looking back and counting numbers and not actually keeping up with play..

I'd encourage county boards at the knockout stages to have a 4th official who's job is solely on that role and dealing with subs. Linesmen's roles need to be supporting the ref during play and keeping up with play

In Armagh we can't even get referees who know what time some games throw in at. I doubt there'd be 4th officials available

[Milltown Row2]

Well with hundreds of games at all codes/ages/genders during the week it doesn't always run smooth

Pet hate is when the team decides to go back into the changing room when I'm ready to start the match!

[thebigfullforward]

Well with hundreds of games at all codes/ages/genders during the week it doesn't always run smooth

Pet hate is when the team decides to go back into the changing room when I'm ready to start the match!

You mean like at half time when one team comes out but the other team isn't out they decide to go back to the changing room too? That's a bit strange, never seen it before. Would like to see a ref just through it in though if one team is taking the piss with coming out of the changing rooms. Not sure what the rule is for that anymore though

[Milltown Row2]

Well with hundreds of games at all codes/ages/genders during the week it doesn't always run smooth

Pet hate is when the team decides to go back into the changing room when I'm ready to start the match!

You mean like at half time when one team comes out but the other team isn't out they decide to go back to the changing room too? That's a bit strange, never seen it before. Would like to see a ref just through it in though if one team is taking the piss with coming out of the changing rooms. Not sure what the rule is for that anymore though

No, start of the game. Unfortunately we can't just throw the ball up, though this did happen to my club in senior football championship when during the covid water breaks the ref did start the game with the team still in a huddle, resulted in a goal, we won the match but it didn't go down well lol

[Rossfan]

Looking like the FRC will be recommending the entire package as is with one exception- game stops when hooter goes unless ball in flight or a free/45/sideline about to be taken.

Derry and Tyrone were objecting to many of the changes.
Who'd have thought.... 🙄

[seafoid]

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/2025/09/10/sean-moran-three-major-issues-erupt-on-a-tumbleweed-weekend/

Among the wealth of data in the final report of the Football Review Committee (FRC) last week was evidence that the FRC may be losing its patience on the issue of handpassing.

Originally, the hope was that a game redesigned for a vertical rather than horizontal axis would take care of excessive handpassing. It was thought that the new rules would reward that orientation to the point that laboured, back-and-forth passages of keep-ball would become unprofitable.


Ciarán Kilkenny of Dublin in action against Galway during an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship match at Pearse Stadium in May. Photograph: James Lawlor/Inpho
Instead, the foot-pass to handpass ratio climbed a whole point this year – from 3.4:1 to 4.4:1. The finalised rules don't make any recommendation to address the issue, but in the section on "Additional Recommendations, there is a significant proposal that at age grades below under-15, "consideration be given to introducing a rule whereby a player who receives a handpass must kick the ball on their next play.

"This initiative aims to promote greater use of kick passing, reduce over-reliance on hand passing and encourage more open and skill-based play at underage levels."

The idea incorporates the reality that addressing this matter may well be best introduced from the bottom up, a bit like the introduction of protective headgear in hurling, which came through the age grades before being made compulsory for all.

[Mad Mentor]

At least this would be easy to coach and police - unlike having to count. As we have seen with steps, counting to four can be a challenge in some circumstances.

[Rossfan]

I floated that here 20 odd years ago.
Got savaged!!!
As did some GAA official  who suggested "solo and go" frees.....

[EoinW]

I won't be surprised to see the whole package of rule changes approved.  All I can do is wish you luck with them!

I still have a greater fear than excessive hand passing.  That is teams playing "keep ball" and deliberately running the clock down.  It's been mentioned recently that wind advantage is greater now than prior to the 2 pointer.  Really going against a strong wind it is sensible to "take the air out of the ball".  Also a tactic to use when trying to protect a big lead.

I'm not condoning this as it is anti-football.  But every action has a natural reaction.  Hopefully my fear is unfounded.  Admittedly it is based on my experience with box lacrosse.  Different sport and different culture.

In the late 1990s, in boxla, a couple of coaches(one at the junior level, the other in the US run pro league) introduced the possession game.  Basic premise: if your team holds the ball then the other team cannot score.  Emphasis on gaining possession, not on scoring.  These teams won championships with the new strategy.  Within ten years every team had copied them.  The fast break, running game disappeared from lacrosse.

One contributing factor is that there was a significant decline in offensive talent in the game.  Also part of the new strategy was to purge individualism from the game.  Lacrosse lost generations of talent.  Which is reflected in the ridiculously low scoring this century.

At least Gaelic football appears to have as much offensive talent as ever.  Also the new rules do encourage individualism.  So I'll be optimistic, assume I'm wrong and that the game will thrive in the future.

[thewobbler]

Obviously I'm a new rules apologist.

But the handpassing vs kickpassing data that everyone is zoning in on is blatantly full of holes.

Here's how the 2024 game was played. Team A would kick a short kickout to an unmarked player. Team B would, all 15, retreat inside their own half. Team A would then pass the ball around their own half, uncontested, for up to 2-3 minutes. This passing would involve a mixture of handpasses and lateral kicks, and would always involve multiple kicks backwards to their furthest retreated  teammate, the default manoeuvre once Team B sent 2-3 men up to pretend press. Once team A decided to actually launch an attack, it would involve as few passes as possible, and culminated in either getting a shot away, or kicking it backwards to safety.


Hence I don't believe analysing the kicking to handpassing ratio for 2024 compared to 2025 is relevant.

Just use your eyes folks. It's an immeasurably better sport now than it was a year ago.

Immeasurably better.

Don't fall into the trap of misunderstanding data.

[GTP]

Don't fall into the trap of misunderstanding data

It could be that someone somewhere wants to misunderstand the data in order to justify limiting the handpass with a new rule enhancement.
Whoever has made the "significant proposal that at age grades below under-15, consideration be given to introducing a rule whereby a player who receives a handpass must kick the ball on their next play." hasn't watched enough underage games, it would mean strong players pass even less and weaker players being exposed more.
If the new rules are going to be passed then bring them in and let the game settle to see if they do improve it at all levels across a reasonable period.

[DaleCooper]

"Just use your eyes folks. It's an immeasurably better sport now than it was a year ago"

Claim based on what exactly?

Combination of the novelty effect and recency bias is in play.


As tactics evolve the old data will become irrelevant but what then? You could be in a permanent FRC situation, constant tweaking.

[Truthsayer]

"Just use your eyes folks. It's an immeasurably better sport now than it was a year ago"

Claim based on what exactly?

Combination of the novelty effect and recency bias is in play.


As tactics evolve the old data will become irrelevant but what then? You could be in a permanent FRC situation, constant tweaking.

     The war's over... the good guys won.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/culture/article/20220413-onoda-the-man-who-hid-in-the-jungle-for-30-years