Confusion reigns over the 'Black Card'Tyrone secretary Dominic McCaughney believes Gaelic football's black card rule should be introduced to hurling to ensure the rules of the two codes are consistent with each other.

"If the black card remains in place for the code of football, it will be very difficult to continue to argue against its introduction to hurling," he writes in his annual report.

McCaughey says the black card needs to be extended to hurling "not just on the basis of the many examples of serious fouls that went unpunished in some of the major championship games in 2014, but on the grounds that we should have one set of disciplinary rules and sanctions for the same playing infractions in both codes."

Despite having reservations about the black card, which was introduced to football this year, the Tyrone secretary is prepared to give it more time to prove its worth.

"At the end of the first year of its implementation, it is probably too early to make a judgment on it due to, in the main to the irregular and sporadic use that has been made of it during football games.

"As with the application of the other two coloured cards, mistakes have been made, but it would appear that the sanctions associated with the black card have been overturned in a much higher percentage of cases than for red or yellow cards."

This is nice coming from the man that is all ways looking to disband our senior COUNTY HURLING team.
Lets hope Tyrone don't get this out of Ulster.

TYRONE_MICK (Tyrone) - Posts: 332 - 04/12/2014 18:09:35    1676710

I'm actually not against the idea of the black card being introduced in hurling, there is cynical fouling in both codes. What I don't understand from this guy is, if he has reservations about the black card, and doesn't believe it can be judged to be working yet, why is he looking to have it expanded to hurling? Maybe I'm being unfair, but I get the impression that his agenda here is not to improve hurling, but to make a point about the black card.

Marlon_JD (Tipperary) - Posts: 1823 - 04/12/2014 18:56:58    1676724

Spot on Marlon. Im sick of listening to those who have issues with the black card asking for it to be introduced in hurling. Its baffling and not in the least in the interest of hurling IMO. Consistency in the rules with each other?? Does a Tyrone man really care that much about the future of hurling?

ZUL10 (Clare) - Posts: 693 - 04/12/2014 19:45:46    1676739

Hurling snobs do get very prickly when someone from a 'non' hurling county interferes or even makes a suggestion regarding 'their' game.

brendtheredhand (Tyrone) - Posts: 10897 - 05/12/2014 09:12:46    1676782

Marlon_JD
County: Tipperary
Posts: 1017

1676724
I'm actually not against the idea of the black card being introduced in hurling, there is cynical fouling in both codes. What I don't understand from this guy is, if he has reservations about the black card, and doesn't believe it can be judged to be working yet, why is he looking to have it expanded to hurling? Maybe I'm being unfair, but I get the impression that his agenda here is not to improve hurling, but to make a point about the black card.

I am wondering of our Secretary remembers that Tyrone footballers are the primary source of blame for the Black Card being introduced in the first place. Not any Hurling Team.

martinprince (Tyrone) - Posts: 187 - 05/12/2014 09:16:58    1676783

brendtheredhand
County: Tyrone
Posts: 9936

1676782
Hurling snobs do get very prickly when someone from a 'non' hurling county interferes or even makes a suggestion regarding 'their' game.

Good luck in the Mckenna Cup.

martinprince (Tyrone) - Posts: 187 - 05/12/2014 09:29:47    1676789

Yeah thats right boys, you circle those wagons in readiness for an assualt from those big bad football barbarians.

brendtheredhand (Tyrone) - Posts: 10897 - 05/12/2014 10:00:12    1676795

Brend, I love both games (though like most who follow both I prefer hurling). I dont believe that there is a need for the black card in hurling,yet, but cynical fouling is on the increase, whether the hurling snobs as you call them like it or not.
As for getting prickly, thats a GAA thing, not a hurling thing. The volcanic reaction to Stepehen Hunts comments prove that.
I dont understand why there is a black card at all tbh. Players should be rewarded for adopting a win at all costs psyche. Fabio8 had a go at me recently for criticising the Sean Cavanagh tackle against Monaghan.
He gave me the usual "he was doing what was right for his team" crap. Apparently cheating in the GAA is okay so long as it helps your side to victory.

joncarter (Galway) - Posts: 2692 - 05/12/2014 10:14:42    1676798

i feel there needs to be some sort of punishment for the use of the spare hand to impede a player from hooking or picking up the ball. there is nothing more frustrating than having your hurl in to hook someone and they just push it away with their hand. although it would be extremely hard for refs to catch people doing it!

patchwork (Meath) - Posts: 5 - 05/12/2014 10:25:37    1676803

Why should the rules of these too entirely different games be consistent with one another? The games have little in common other than the size of the pitch, the markings and numbers playing.

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4895 - 05/12/2014 10:48:30    1676810

Why should the rules of these too entirely different games be consistent with one another? The games have little in common other than the size of the pitch, the markings and numbers playing.

Well I suppose it could be argued that one thing both codes have in common is the cynical play which the black card was brought in to try and reduce. Given that most people acknowledge there is cynicism within hurling to the same (if not more of a ) degree then why would the GAA introduce it in one code and not the other.

Personally I am not a fan of it in either code and think it should be done away with in the Football but the point is still a fair one and maybe those that make these rules should explain why they feel one code needs this while the other doesn't.

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 05/12/2014 12:14:14    1676832

Brend, it was your own county man who posted this.


I think his point regarding same chap's wish to disband the Tyrone hurling team says all we need to know about his interest in hurling .....

hurlingdub (Dublin) - Posts: 6978 - 05/12/2014 12:43:33    1676844

Offside_Rule
County: Antrim
Posts: 1809

....the point is still a fair one and maybe those that make these rules should explain why they feel one code needs this while the other doesn't.
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They are different games and they should have different rules. I've said before that hurling ultimately will need to break away from the GAA in order to survive. The game should be administrated and marketed as the unique sport that it is and, if so, it may one day spread beyond the handful of parishes where it currently reigns as the most popular sport.

As for Dominic McCaughey, well this is always the time of year when he makes a fool of himself and his county, with his pointless and self-important 'Secretary's statement'. A couple of years ago he was moaning about Kerry's celebrations after beating Tyrone, and this year he crys about Tyrone being intimidated by Armagh in a game 6 months ago. All of this nonsense is very embarrassing from a Tyrone perspective, and I'd suggest that next year we could do without our Secretary's public musings.

Thomas Clarke (Tyrone) - Posts: 1002 - 05/12/2014 15:21:28    1676909

Thomas Clarke - they also have rules which are applicable to both but which get administered differently. But my point is that regardless of the rules which are enforced (or not enforced), the Black card was brought in to get rid of cynical play. The offences for which a black card are given are:

1. Deliberately pull down an opponent.
2. Deliberately trip an opponent with the hand(s), arm, leg or foot.
3. Deliberately body collide with an opponent after he has played the ball away or for the purpose of taking him out of a movement of play.
4. Threaten or to use abusive or provocative language or gestures to an opponent or a teammate.
5. Remonstrate in an aggressive manner with a Match Official.

Now, as these are things which happen in both games regardless of the differences in the rules then I still think that its a fair question to ask why the GAA feels one code needs this rule and the other doesn't.

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 05/12/2014 15:38:17    1676912

I think if you looked at the All Ireland hurling final 2014, there was an enormous amount of fouls ignored by the referee. There was a trip which resulted in a penalty, and there probably should have been a second when Bonner Maher was gobbled up by the KK defence early on when through on goal.

I wasn't surprised that Diarmuid Gavin let a lot of that go. There is a clamour among 'hurling people' to let the game flow and not to be awarding too many frees. I was surprised that when Donal Og brought raised the topic of the continuous fouling that he was shot down by the other panel members. As Donal Og puts it, there is no room for interpretation in the rule book. Something is either a foul or it is not. Gavin simply ignored a significant amount of fouling.

I'll put it out there - by not having a black card and tolerating cynical fouling, were Tipp ultimately denied an All Ireland this year?

ringo (Wexford) - Posts: 384 - 05/12/2014 15:47:18    1676919

brendtheredhand
County: Tyrone
Hurling snobs do get very prickly when someone from a 'non' hurling county interferes or even makes a suggestion regarding 'their' game.

I wasn't getting prickly at all, I said in my post that I'd be ok with the black card being introduced in hurling, and that there was cynical fouling in both codes (no snobbery there). I was just questioning why someone who wasn't sold on the black card idea, would want the system expanded. Seems a bit dubious.

Marlon_JD (Tipperary) - Posts: 1823 - 05/12/2014 15:52:24    1676922

Hurling is an Irish sport, not confined to a few counties.

Every club and county is entitled to a say in the future of the game

valley84 (Westmeath) - Posts: 1890 - 05/12/2014 16:43:28    1676941

'Good Yellow Cards' in Hurling deserve a black card...ie.. any deliberate foul to stop a Goal chance...

kikfada (Louth) - Posts: 2091 - 05/12/2014 16:52:34    1676943

Hear hear.

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 05/12/2014 16:56:39    1676945

Some of ye missed the eaelier point. This man has reservations himself about the black card yet he wants it introduced in hurling.

ZUL10 (Clare) - Posts: 693 - 05/12/2014 17:21:01    1676948