Former GAA national hurling coordinator Paudie Butler has backed calls for penalties in hurling to be changed to a straight shoot-out between attacker and goalkeeper.

In an attempt to stop the practice of the penalty-taker lifting the ball forward several metres before striking towards goal, the rule was changed earlier this summer to ensure that penalties are taken from the full 20 metres out.

But after Seamus Callanan and John O'Dwyer both had penalties saved in last Sunday's All-Ireland final, there are many who believe that the rule change offers no advantage to the attacking team.

"It's going to evolve to one-on-one," Tipperary native Butler - who was a member of Liam Dunne's Wexford senior hurling backroom team - told the Examiner.

"Safety has to come first, the goalkeeper must be safe.

"Striking the ball on the 14-yard line had become dangerous with the ball being struck phenomenally hard and at an unprecedented speed. So it was decided, 'we'll bring it out' and defenders are now seeing that the chances of scoring are down to 20%. So defenders are saying, 'we'll take our chances'. In reality, that figure should have been 80%.

"I also think one-on-one will be a psychological spectacle for the 80,000 people watching. Top goalies will fancy saving one or two but top forwards will be thinking, 'I'll stick 10 out of 10'. That dynamic will happen naturally."

Butler expects the change to happen sooner rather than later.

"It's inevitable. You can't have it where people will be pulled down because it's unlikely to result in a goal. And that will happen if they leave it."

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