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Yellows
and mid season rule changes
05 July 2010
The championship to date has led to much debate over the manner
in which referees are doling out yellow cards. Many commentators
argue these sanctions are not necessary and ask that the men
in black show common sense, a commodity we have long argued
is anything but common.
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Don't
kick the new rules to touch
Here is Kevin McStay's column which appeared in Hogan Stand magazine
prior to last week's Congress
A few months back I had a detailed look at the penalty kick in Gaelic
football, one of the new experimental rules trialed in the NFLs
and earlier, the provincial subsidiary competitions. |
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Time
waits for no-one - not even in Kerry
Each year we start out wondering if Kerry can once again motivate
themselves to take on all comers and win yet another All Ireland.
It can't be easy of course but Kerry get the job done more often
than any other county. |
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Ruling
the roost
I finished the final column of 2009 by asking you to consider the
manner in which Gaelic football has allowed a situation to develop
whereby it now pays to foul. |
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Closed
seasons gives the administrators their chance
There is a conspiracy theory abroad which postulates the GAA insisted
on a closed playing season so that GAA officials, the real stars
of the association, might take centre stage during the players lock
down. As a result the inter-county men are placed in cold storage
and their hibernation period must include the months of November
and December. |
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Calling
the team of the year
I have prepared for major club championship matches where the announcement
of the team was quickly followed by the famous 'storming-out' of
the dressing room and the resulting madness and daftness that resulted.
I have attended team meetings where strong-willed players have demanded
to know why so-and-so has consistently made a starting fifteen despite
a lack commitment to preparing, training and indeed the game on
match-day itself. |
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Kerry
have the experience, but Cork should take Sam
There is a cheap line about the All-Ireland final being a contest
between the two best teams in the country. It usually is, but not
always. Cast your mind back to a time when Ulster and Connacht matched
up at semi-final stage in the 70s and 80s (every three years) and
it's pretty reasonable to suggest the lazy one-liner did not apply.
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Watch
out for the up and coming side
It's been a slow burner of a hurling season and the number of top
class games witnessed needs only the big fingers of one hand to
count them. It really has been that average. |
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Striking
is poor option in the GPA's arsenal
With negotiations between the GAA and the GPA regarding official
recognition for the latter ongoing, Kevin McStay believes the threat
of the nuclear option from the players' body is badly judged. |
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Time
for a format rethink
The debate rages on and while the GAA has no immediate plans to
overhaul the current structure, it is difficult to be convinced
about the merit of the Qualifiers. |
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The
sap is rising
As I write, the 2009 campaign is underway as my own Mayo have faced
up to the New York challenge in a Connacht championship opener.
And before the month of May is out the engine will have cranked
into further action with the arrival of The Sunday Game, the other
provincial championships, sunny days, big crowds and all the colour,
noise and atmosphere of championship days. |
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Leagues
about more than just discipline
It's been a low-key national football league programme and I am
unable to put my finger on the reason why. Perhaps it is all about
the economy - followers of the game appear to be keeping both their
enthusiasm and money for the summer campaign ahead. |
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Who
would be a manager?
Only a few weeks have passed since Gerald McCarthy saw fit to resign
his position as manager of the Cork hurling team as I write this.
If we accept that a certain trinity of trust must exist between
players, managers and county boards before All-Irelands can be dreamed
about, it is probably safe to declare that Cork hurler's only highlight
in 2009 will concern itself with this horrible row |
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Lights
- Cameras - Action!
The GAA relaunched their 125 Celebrations in style with the floodlit
national league opener between Dublin and Tyrone providing the type
of fireworks supporters love best. |
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Changes,
but could we just implement the rules for once
The new football season has arrived and if we are truthful, it could
not come soon enough. The Gael prefers his Sundays to follow a certain
pattern: mass, the dinner, the match, a few scoops and back to the
homestead in time to watch the lads on The Sunday Game. He is a
simple creature and the closed season does not sit well with him.
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A
good year with more on offer in 2009
It was another really exciting year for championship football. All
three grades produced an excellent standard of football and Tyrone
emerged as the big winners taking the minor and senior cups home
to the north. Kerry slipped the under 21 crown into their shopping
basket but their year will Kerry will focus more on what was lost
than what was won. Two counties kept all the cups to themselves! |
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Ruling
the rules
It required some sleight of hand to get them through but GAA politics
has always been the art of the possible and the Rules Task Force
will be happy with the recent adoption of their proposals at the
Special Congress. |
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Two
giants collide
Before the championship ball was thrown in on Sunday 11th May, I
have little doubt many pundits fancied a Kerry versus Ulster county
in the ultimate decider. It was difficult to say exactly which one
because the Ulster championship is predictable in one way only -
it’s full of surprises. |
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For
Mayo footballers see Waterford?
It appears Kilkenny hurlers hardly have to break sweat to get to
All-Ireland hurling finals these days. In fact, recent episodes
of those finals makes you believe they have to do little indeed
to actually win them. If the month is September, the game is hurling,
then Kilkenny must be heading for town. And they are. Once again.
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Tight
at the top
There are many aspects to the 2008 championship that fight for our
attention every week. Some of the topics can be controversial, others
are worrying trends but in the GAA world it can sometimes be difficult
to stumble across a good news story. Perhaps that is the fault of
the association itself; after all, there are so many superb initiatives
going on every day all over the country-new grounds, Feile, Cul
Camps, launches for charities and so forth. |
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The
numbers game with free taking
Ever since rules were amended in 1989 to allow free kicks in Gaelic
football to be taken from the hand, much debate has centred on the
art of free taking. Is it better to use the ’new’ method
or is the old-fashioned free from the ground the better option? |
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Is
the championship format out of date?
There is currently much debate about the slow burning championship
of 2008. Many are wondering why the GAA do not insist on an opening
championship blockbuster. For some reason the debate is not observing
the obvious: the GAA can never guarantee a sell-out fixture so long
as their draws are open and provincial. |
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Welcome
back to the IRS
The International Rules (formerly the Compromise Rules) Series,
once played annually between Australia and Ireland, was sent to
the gallows in late 2006. It appears they were afforded a pardon
and instead went into hibernation.
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A
silly old affair
It all got a little farcical in the end but that will probably be
lost on the Cork County Board. They had to fire the man they hired
a few months earlier and boy did they vote to put him down: 89 in
favour of the removal of the management team versus 18 against is
a slaughter in any man’s language. The result was hardly out
when the old boys network kicked into action. |
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Local
needs see bigger picture shattered
Not a ball kicked with any real degree of anger and already the
GAA season is in a fine old mess. The footballers and hurlers of
Cork have backed themselves into a corner and only an explosive
device will clear the room now. |
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Player
burnout report hits the mark
While the inter-county season can boast of an official closed season,
a glance at any of the morning papers will confirm their club brethren
must plough on through the muck and rain. And it is not just under
21 B finals that are being played out in the semi darkness of winter;
if you look closely you will find results for county league finals
throughout the country. Sure, just over a week before Christmas,
we read reports of the Leinster Senior Club final. |
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Club
competition shines
I know I promised to revisit the club fixtures and burnout issues
this month but as usual events, dear friends, events, overtake us.
It will definitely feature in the January issue! |
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A
draw in name only
You can dress it up any way you want, talk of tradition and the
pure excitement of it all but surely now, there can be only one
conclusion? The day of the blockbuster live championship draw is
gone. And the reason why is simple to report: the championship draw
is no longer exciting. |
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Kerry
are the tipster's choice
Those of you out there concerned with the strike rate of the poor
beleaguered pundit might be aware I am going through a particular
bad run of predictions just now. |
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What
a sport!
Can we agree on two things about hurling before we start? One: the
system used to produce the two hurling finalists is perhaps the
most puzzling mixture of regional, pool and national qualifiers
known to any field sport in the world and Two: it’s an incredible
game despite the fact there are very few rules actually enforced!
In fact the attitude of both referees and players to the playing
rules of hurling are similar to that of the teenager and speeding
in an automobile - more or less optional. |
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We
can't allow the abuse to continue
Hitting another player 'off-the-ball' is possibly the greatest act
of cowardice in Gaelic football. Thankfully, we don't see much of
this striking, elbowing and dangerous play these days; it hardly
exists at inter-county level at all and the tolerance for it at
club grades is dying away as each year passes. |
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The
season is taking shape
The end of June marks the completion of the first sorting out process
in the football championship. The preliminary rounds, provincial
quarters and semis are in the rear view mirror and all is ready
for the local finals in July. Once upon a time they meant huge crowds
and great excitement as no second chance was allowed. The arrival
of the new system has certainly taken the edge off them. |
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Defending
is easier than attacking
When aficionados of Gaelic football gather in twos and threes to
discuss the evolving strategies and tactics in our game a story
from deep in the county of Derry is always worth recounting. This
true tale took place in every dressing room the coach practiced
his art (or is it more correctly called a science?) and constituted
his final words as you prepared to exit for the field-door open
or not! |
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Why
do the same mistakes keep on taking place?
I read somewhere that Crossmaglen Rangers, in winning the replayed
club All-Ireland final against Dr Crokes had completed a winning
sequence of twenty victories in twenty major finals. |
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Club
fare intrigues
Soon the road shows will be over for this season and the white wash
will be pushed back ever closer to the over-looking stands. Gaelic
football and hurling will be back in town and if the month is March,
it must be the turn of the clubs. Yet another new year throws up
unlikely combinations and the deciders will showcase some of the
finest exponents in each code. A football final with Oisin McConville
and Colm 'The Gooch' Cooper underlines the quality on show come
Saint Patrick's Day. |
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A
pundit's gamble
About this time every year the 'Festival of the Pundit' takes place.
It lasts for almost two months and can spill over into the early
part of summer as some experts attempt to change horses mid race.
To be an active member you must have studied the draw and of course
as mentioned each time we head down this road, it helps if you are
mad. |
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The
ratings game
There are different tools we can use in our attempts to measure
the ranking of a team or individual in terms of performance. A short
to medium term view can be taken or a more historical long-term
analysis often offers a better guideline to how matters might pan
out. |
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Are
all arguments against opening Croke Park misguided?
Similar to many GAA struggles of the past one hundred years or so,
the surprising aspect is often how easily, in the final days of
a long and tortuous campaign, a stubborn and contentious rule gently
falls to the ground. And signals a new era. |
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Who
would be a manager?
One of the arguments used to keep payment to managers off the Croke
Park agenda is to wonder what might happen to the players if official
remuneration to their masters was sanctioned. And it is a very reasonable
question. |
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Time
to believe
In September 2004 Mayo people left Croke Park with heavy hearts.
It had been a humiliating day for followers of the Green and Red.
For the second time in recent history (1997 was the previous one)
we had under-estimated the Kerry challenge. Silly boys us. |
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An
opinion on the hurling
This time around, due to the machinations of the fluid fixture list,
I was afforded the opportunity of attending both hurling semi-finals.
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Is
there a better way?
Some months ago this column warned that the 2006 championships would
fail to really spark until the provincial final stages. Despite
the re-emergence of a stylish Donegal team and the late June entry
of our friends from Dublin, we stand by the early season prediction.
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The
unwritten rules of GAA
The Official Guide, Parts 1 and 2, contain the regulations by which
the great gathering called the Gaelic Athletic Association get by
from day to day. With so many different sub units (club, county,
provincial and national committees) there has to be rules laid out
to guide us. Now just there, straight away, is the first problem
with this months column - are rules for guidance or are they for
strict application? |
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Football
in its purest form
Summer may well be in its infancy but by the close of the May bank
holiday we had witnessed a game of football of such high quality,
it may not be surpassed by September's end. The All Ireland College's
football final remains one of the sports best fixtures and over
the years it rarely fails to excite. This year's final between St.
Pats from Navan and Abbey CBS from Newry is a contender for the
'best of all time' final. |
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The
GPA are growing on me
The background music was more elevator than rock and roll but the
volume has increased dramatically recently. The Gaelic Players Association
(GPA) is suddenly big into heavy metal and the gloves are certainly
off. As I write, this promises to be a seminal time in the on-off
relationship between the players association and GAA HQ |
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City
clubs line up on final day
The AIB Club football final rolls into town soon and for a change
we have two of the major cities on this island represented. |
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Indiscipline
continues because it is tolerated by rule makers
A year rarely passes but your columnist feels the need to devote
the available space to the subject of the GAA and discipline or,
more precisely, indiscipline. At least one column is used to air
the old chestnuts and comment on the latest outbursts. So, here
we go again, once more with feeling - I might as well attend to
the early season mayhem and clear the desk for the months ahead.
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Professionalism
is not a route best taken
The provincial leagues masquerade as the first serious blows of
the season but the veteran GAA fan knows they constitute nothing
more than springtime shadow boxing. Yet the crowds have turned out
in record numbers to get their first sightings of teams that are
under strength, experimental at best and certainly in challenge
game mode. It proves, I suppose, that we are living in a very special
time for the game of Gaelic football. |
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January
makes you think ahead to the summer
Driving conditions are scarcely hectic, the pitch itself is even
worse and the teams before you are working on half battery. Still,
January draws you from the nest like no other month - it signals
the end of the winter hibernation of The Gael. |
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A
great year by any standards
Any review of the 2005 GAA season must conclude that it will stand
out as one of the best on record. The standard set in the football
championship will be difficult to match and as we examine the draw
for 2006 the best we can hope for is that it might match the fare
of the past twelve months. |
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Hardly
much compromise
Compromise Rules first and then International Rules. Changes back
to Uncompromising Rules and now, it appears, In Disrepute Rules.
No matter what name you give them, what your viewpoint is about
our annual relationships with our friends Down Under - are you pro
the series or one of those to argue long and hard for their abandonment
- the bottom line is the 2005 version will have interested you and
indeed many people in the country who only have a passing knowledge
of the games. |
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Tyrone
by a whisker?
First, a good laugh about last year's final. You will recall Kerry
put Mayo to the sword and the sound of the final whistle brought
some relief to the losing followers. I was watching in the RTE Studios
in Montrose and while Pat Spillane was very sympathetic to the plight
of my county, there was no point in staying indoors for the early
post mortem. |
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A
Mayo man with a soft spot for Galway
Some months ago when the country's bookmakers posted the odds for
a single county to complete the double for 2005 i.e. All Ireland
champions in senior hurling and football, the numbers were both
generous and a little fanciful. After all nobody does the double
these days-heck, no county can even retain their championship from
a previous September. Galway and Cork remained the only two powers
capable of such a feat, yet the possibility of it happening was
slim and none. |
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Eight
of the best?
Back in early spring, this column suggested we might have few surprises
in the race for the senior football championship of 2005. It went
further and suggested the traditional pairings of Cork and Kerry
in the south with Galway and Mayo in the west, were shoe-ins for
the last eight. |
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June
madness
Mid June and a little GAA history. The weekend of the first football
and hurling qualifiers will go down as the busiest senior inter
county schedule since the organisation was founded. Footballers
and hurlers parading their skills in front of big crowds-Croke Park
was a sell out with 82,000 patrons squeezed into the new stadium.
And of course opinion is divided on just about every topic imaginable-the
rules, the referees, the treatment of the strong counties, The Dubs,
Armagh and whatever you are having yourself. |
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The
wonder of headquarters
Do you, like me, take the new Croke Park a little bit for granted?
Now that the Hill has been realigned, the HQ of our national games
rises magnificently to its full height, one of the finest stadiums
in the world. Owned by an association that is essentially an amateur
one. Read that line again and you begin to realise that we probably
do take its existence for granted. |
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Goodbye,
farewell
In the end Rule 42 took the road it skidded off in 2001. Better
late than not to arrive at all but the closure on the hype and boring
debate is nonetheless welcome. In retrospect, the vote simply had
to favour the opening up of the famous old ground; can you imagine
the fallout if it had gone otherwise? |
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It''s
nice to come home from a final with a smile
Heading towards Croke Park, especially on the day of an All Ireland
final, can be an anxious journey for a man from the west. If you
happen to follow the fortunes of all matters Green and Red, then
prepare yourself for a day when all the emotions are experienced
before defeat follows. |
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All
to often we miss the important issues
Two of the big talking points of the spring campaign concern Rule
42 and the New, Newer, Newest Rules for football and hurling. Last
month I dealt with the rule issue and promised to watch a little
closer before judgement is passed. But matters have overtaken the
debate really and already some of the key experiments are no more,
not even in experimental form, if you follow me. |
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Predicting
the big eight
The early season diet of provincial and national football leagues
afford the opportunity to teams and management to shake out and
ready themselves for the real action of summer. It is a time to
adjust - to new panels, new players, very often new managers and
now, as recently confirmed, new rules. |
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Implementing
the rules is preferable to changing them
The new season is but seven days of age and already the followers
are talking. Worse than that, the managers and the players are lending
a voice. Who in the name of God was on this New Rules Committee? |
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Club
Championship's hibernation
Now that the provincial club championships are heading for hibernation,
it is timely to reflect on the importance, and indeed the pressures,
associated with the newest marquee competition on our GAA calendar.
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Early
November and another winter of discontent approaches
At this time of the year it is standard practice among us cynics
to review the football year and confirm that little has changed
in the world of the GAA. |
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September
B 2004 article
There exists in the Mayo of today a vast constituency of football
followers who have never journeyed west along the N4 in preparation
for the home-coming of Sam Maguire. |
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September
2004 article
The decision to locate the Sunday Game studios at the venues of
our live matches has provided a welcome bonus for the football analysts
- we get to see live hurling! |
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