Referees chief Pat McEnaney has voiced his opposition to the proposal to change the yellow card rule in hurling.

"Hurling is a highly skilful game but it needs to be protected by the people who run it, and watering down the rules would not be my idea and I wouldn't support it," he outlined to The Examiner.

"What they're saying is you can commit two fouls under careless use of the hurl and be replaced. I would find that astonishing.

"As of last year we have a rule in the game where if you grab a player's helmet it's a red card offence. There's a massive disproportion between a red card for that and then turning around and saying a player can twice use a hurl in a careless manner and be replaced.

"So a player would be able to pull down an opponent twice and then be replaced? He'd be allowed to trip an opponent twice and then be replaced? In Gaelic football, you're sent to the line and replaced for doing it once.

"I would see this as a major backward step. We can't be going narrow alleyways just because one or two fellas got sent off in the wrong. You've got to take a helicopter view here."

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