See Mickey Whelan's suggestion on Hoganstand. Now, let's say you've got the ball and have just shipped a good shoulder and you are on the ground, in possession of the ball, and surrounded by opposition players and your team mate is a few yards away. In that situation, it seems silly that you'd have to waste time struggling to get to your feet (while you're being half-fouled and the ref is doing nothing) before releasing the ball to your team mate. All momentum would be gone.

Or you're a big full forward who's just fetched a kick pass out of the sky, as your feet hit the ground, you're surrounded by opposition players closing in on you. Over their heads, you spot a team mate rushing in, un-marked, into a scoring position. Are you really going to p1ss about trying to get a kick away through a forest of opposition players (and most likely lose the ball) instead of doing the sensible thing and hand-passing the ball to your inrushing team mate?

A long kick pass is great, but to mandate it for short passes is daft. Players choose the most efficient means of passing in the precise circumstances required by the situation; this kind of one trick pony comment pleases the nostalgic contingent in the GAA, but has little else going for it.

essmac (Tyrone) - Posts: 1141 - 17/03/2017 10:04:44    1967756

Players aren't allowed consecutive hops of the ball. If restrictions come in for the handpass, they will have to be trialled and common sense applied.

In the situations outlined in the original post, a handpass should be allowed when the ball is received from a kick pass. In soccer there is skill in one-twos. There is similar skill in handpassing one-twos in gaelic football.

Any limit on handpassing will have to find the appropriate number of consecutive handpasses that players, referees and supporters can keep up with. They say 3 is the magic number!

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 7820 - 17/03/2017 10:32:59    1967766

I'm open somewhat to the handpass being restricted but itd be very hard to officiate.

Getting rid of it altogether is absolute nonsense of the highest order.

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13650 - 17/03/2017 11:15:56    1967771

Not being smart but me and my friends were talking about something similar last weekend and we all agreed that if you took the bounce out of football you'd make it a much better game (have solos only ) it would do away with certain teams taking 10-14 steps and it would make it easier for defenders to knock the ball away it would also make lads move the ball a bit faster .

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 17/03/2017 11:29:37    1967779

s goldrick (Cavan) - Posts: 5518 - 17/03/2017 12:04:13    1967790

s goldrick (Cavan) - Posts: 5518 - 17/03/2017 12:08:25    1967791

Very hard to restrict the hand pass, officials are struggle with poorly written rules as they are never mind new ones.

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4895 - 17/03/2017 12:20:34    1967802

Here's a mad theory the game is fine and has absolutely nothing wrong with it. The league has being great when teams of a similar standard play each other. We're not going back to 70s 80s style football thankfully. Now lets all move on.

doratheexplorer (Cavan) - Posts: 1467 - 17/03/2017 12:23:27    1967804

This plague was started in the 1970's by Dublin and then Kerry took it to a new level when you could score goals with the overhead handpass over the keepers head.Now with the fitness and running power of players this off the shoulder hand passing has become an epidemic.I would say 2 handpasses and that would mean you could have a quick one two.I think it is probably impossible now to do much about it.

gunman (Donegal) - Posts: 1056 - 17/03/2017 12:27:12    1967806

I do agree that there is far too much handpassing and teams are averse to taking a riskier foot pass. But you can't just ban hand passing as it is such an integral part of the game.

Another option I was thinking about was banning players from passing the ball backwards. You see this a lot nowadays especially from free kicks. Probably wouldnt work in all situations.

Green_Gold (Donegal) - Posts: 1873 - 17/03/2017 12:38:11    1967807

Kevin Foley's goal for Meath in the fourth game of the 1991 saga against Dublin came at the end of six consecutive hand passes. I would hate to see it being disallowed.

tommy58 (Dublin) - Posts: 169 - 17/03/2017 12:58:50    1967811

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 17/03/2017 12:58:52    1967812

The_Fridge (Tyrone) - Posts: 2088 - 17/03/2017 15:14:54    1967847

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 17/03/2017 15:41:28    1967852

Don't think hand passing can really be restricted but I believe goals should only be scored with the boot or with the hand if pass comes via a kick.

ponga (Mayo) - Posts: 647 - 17/03/2017 16:55:05    1967869

Brian_Coyote (Antrim) - Posts: 346 - 17/03/2017 16:55:19    1967870

Another stupid suggestion how about leave our game alone

Dellboypolecat (Tyrone) - Posts: 15069 - 17/03/2017 20:48:26    1967986

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 7820 - 17/03/2017 21:20:47    1967999

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4207 - 18/03/2017 10:56:47    1968079