Gaelic Football - Rules & Regulations discussion/clarification

[The Boy Wonder]

Exhibit A. And Armagh18, good lad he seems to be, is not the only one!

I don't think too many would disagree that playing down the clock is an issue
- getting rid of the hooter addresses this issue.

Nor would many disagree with the assertion that long bouts of handpassing is a blight on the game
- getting rid of the arc and 2-pointers will partially address this issue.

Nobody is denying that some of the rule changes have brought improvements. e.g. tap and go.

The main gripes shared by very many are the hooter and the 2-pointers.

[gallsman]

Exhibit A. And Armagh18, good lad he seems to be, is not the only one!

I don't think too many would disagree that playing down the clock is an issue
- getting rid of the hooter addresses this issue.

Nor would many disagree with the assertion that long bouts of handpassing is a blight on the game
- getting rid of the arc and 2-pointers will partially address this issue.

Nobody is denying that some of the rule changes have brought improvements. e.g. tap and go.

The main gripes shared by very many are the hooter and the 2-pointers.

At which point the very same people will start whining about how the ref robbed them by failing to add 8 seconds of additional time that they felt entitled to. Or get outraged about a ref playing 8 seconds of additional time that their opponents absolutely, categorically 100% aren't entitled to.

[Armagh18]

Compromise on it could be keep last years hooter rule but ball must go dead either for a wide or a score. This years rule is brutal.

Apparently the Carlow players only found out they'd have a hooter in place for the league final on the Thursday before, bad work. 

[The Boy Wonder]

The above post from gallsman exposes the shallowness of the new rule zealots who cannot countenance any unintended negative consequences of the new rules. The issue of additional time would only occasionally have arisen in the past.

In contrast those who critique the new rules do so with the intention of highlighting the unintended consequences and they suggest improvements/compromises to address the issues, e.g. suggestion from Armagh18 to allow 2-pointers outside 45m.

Maybe the zealots might admit that the new rules can do with improvement and engage properly in the debate.

[gallsman]

The issue of additional time would only occasionally have arisen in the past.

Utter horseshit. Every single game that wasn't a blowout you'd have someone complaining.

[The Boy Wonder]

Maybe gallsman and those of similar mind might actually discuss the merits and demerits of the new rules without accusing those who disagree with them of bleating, whining and talking horseshit.

Armagh18 and trueblue1234 amongst others have constructively criticised aspects of the new rules without resorting to derogatory comments about those who might disagree.

A few questions for those who are content with the new rules as they stand currently:
- are you happy with the back and forth handpassing around the arc which is sometimes at a walking pace ?
- are you happy with teams retaining possession to play down the clock at the end of the game ?
- are you happy with some of the penalties for breaching new rules which some consider disproportionate ?

[Rossfan]

Back and forth handpassing went on for years.
Yes, up to opposition to contest the ball
Yes. You're not meant to break the rules.

[thebigfullforward]

Back and forth handpassing went on for years.
Yes, up to opposition to contest the ball
Yes. You're not meant to break the rules.

So you don't think the rules have any room for improvement?

[J70]

Compromise on it could be keep last years hooter rule but ball must go dead either for a wide or a score. This years rule is brutal.

Apparently the Carlow players only found out they'd have a hooter in place for the league final on the Thursday before, bad work. 

No issue whatsoever with going back to last year's hooter set up. No idea why they felt the need to change it in the first place.

[J70]

Back and forth handpassing went on for years.
Yes, up to opposition to contest the ball
Yes. You're not meant to break the rules.

So you don't think the rules have any room for improvement?

There's always room for improvement.

Going back to the pre-FRC status quo is not it.

Personally, I don't really care about the hooter, as that was never the issue.

The issue was teams packing their 45 and back. Three men up and the two point arc have been a huge success in solving that problem and must be kept.

Using the 45 line to separate two pointers is a waste of time as teams will simply pack the middle given that very few scores are ever got from shots on the wing beyond the 45.

I'm also loving the midfield contests now that the short kick out set up has encouraged high pressing.

[Rossfan]

Back and forth handpassing went on for years.
Yes, up to opposition to contest the ball
Yes. You're not meant to break the rules.

So you don't think the rules have any room for improvement?

Never said that, just answering questions posed by the Laois buck.
Only rule I want to see changed is the disgusting handballs over the bar.

[thewobbler]

The above post from gallsman exposes the shallowness of the new rule zealots who cannot countenance any unintended negative consequences of the new rules. The issue of additional time would only occasionally have arisen in the past.

In contrast those who critique the new rules do so with the intention of highlighting the unintended consequences and they suggest improvements/compromises to address the issues, e.g. suggestion from Armagh18 to allow 2-pointers outside 45m.

Maybe the zealots might admit that the new rules can do with improvement and engage properly in the debate.

I'm not a zealot.

The sports I watch the most - Gaelic Football, NFL, soccer and rugby union - all have aspects/rules that drive me mad.

But the one that in my lifetime went from the most unhinged and unpredictable to becoming the most tedious and unwatchable, courtesy of over coaching, was Gaelic Football.

It needed a full overhaul.

And for the most part, I believe that overhaul has been a proper success.

Is it perfect? No, no it's not. No sport is perfect, and I don't actually believe most sports have the same cultural problem that Gaelic Football has, whereby coaches feel it is their role, purpose, priority to abuse the intentions of those rules.

Over time I'll be happy to see the rules adapt, especially as and when coaches make the sport unwatchable again. But for now I'm really enjoying watching Gaelic Football, and the last thing therefore I'm going to do - at this moment - is look for ways to change it.

It took me about 3-4 weeks after the new rules were released to realise this. I was as sceptical as anyone originally. But then I found myself  enjoying match ups like Roscommon v Tyrone. Just 12 months previous I'd sooner had done a novena than tune into the muck those counties were producing.

[thebigfullforward]

Back and forth handpassing went on for years.
Yes, up to opposition to contest the ball
Yes. You're not meant to break the rules.

So you don't think the rules have any room for improvement?

Never said that, just answering questions posed by the Laois buck.
Only rule I want to see changed is the disgusting handballs over the bar.

Personally I think not being able to lay a hand on a man goes against everything I was ever taught growing up. Handing the ball back as if the players are 5 years old is also mind boggling to me.

Seen a minor player for the club punished with a 50m penalty as he threw the ball back towards the player instead of handing it back. Ball went to chest, actually speeds the game up instead of him having to run the 10m back towards the opposition player but he technically broke the rules even though what he did was more beneficial so what do I know.

Referees at club level calling for a breach when there isn't one or blatantly ignoring breaches when they do happen (another one of our minor games our players were seen 3 times for definite by the ref breaking the 3 up and nothing done.

And no, before a certain user gets upset and thinks I'm blaming the refs for this I am not. Some refs use common sense with these new rules whilst others follow them as they're supposed to. And yes that's the same way it's always been but right now it has a bigger impact

[Rossfan]

"Laying a hand on a man" is not allowed

[thebigfullforward]

"Laying a hand on a man" is not allowed

Yeah under the new rules when you have to let the man you're marking have a free run without touching him