I think Seamus Woods summed it up on Sunday Sport. If we let the player decide then yes it could turn into a farce. The ref makes the decision, the player should play on as normal, he should not assume he will get a free. The rule only comes into play when the referee determines that the player has gained no advantage from a clean catch - which is a good additon to the game, IMHO of course!

OuchitsFrancie (Tyrone) - Posts: 31 - 09/02/2010 14:20:39    556232

omaghredhand
County: Tyrone
Posts: 1281

556181 Horse, I don't think so, as Doherty's catch was after he slid around 3-4 foot and caught the ball before it hit the ground. Brilliantly done.

i think this is going to cause problems as players make catches that are not obvious to the ref, and players hesitate expecting the mark to be called

dhorse (Laois) - Posts: 11374 - 09/02/2010 15:21:07    556326

sundays mayo galway game demonstrated how pathetic this rule is...mayo had 6 marks in the first half...apart from one occasion..mayo lost posession 5 times within 2 passes or kicks because galway had already their men in defensive positions...mayo's dominance came from open play and not having marks..when mcgarrity caught the ball and looked up all he could see were maroon jerseys and of course galway had a spare man in a position 30-40 metres trying to read his next kick...this rule is killing the game because it is encouraging more negative play

mayotyroneman (Tyrone) - Posts: 1821 - 09/02/2010 20:11:33    556832

I think there is a place for the mark in gaelic football but it's not the option that's currently being assessed. Back in 2002 when the Strategy Review Committee proposed a series of rule changes that would benefit football one of the ammendments to playing rules touted was the option for a player to claim a mark if he caught the ball cleanly from a team-mate's free-kick that had travelled at least 21 meters. Now presumably this would function in a manner similar to AFL's mark with the player given the option to claim a mark or run the ball he so desired.

Let's examine how this would work in the context of a typical match. Say Ronan McGarrity fields the ball from a kick-out and is swarmed by opposing players shortly after landing resulting in an aggressive foul being committed. He would have the option of laying off a quick 13 meter pass to a colleague or he could deliver the ball in long to Aidan O'Shea who's making a dash out past the 20m line. If O'Shea managed to successfully catch the ball before it touched the ground he would have the option of claiming a mark. If a Galway player caught the ball ahead of him he would not have the option of claiming a mark but would have to play on.

Now there are two ways this rule could be applied: i) The player who caught the ball would be the only player permitted to take the successive free-kick owing to the mark or... ii) He woud have the option of handing the ball over to another player on his team who would take the free-kick from the area where the mark was called. I think the second option would be best.

Either way the SRC's proposals offered a fairer method of punishing teams who fouled away from the goal area and also encouraged players to take free-kicks quickly and directly. This proposal has the added benefit of rewarding high fielding in all areas of the pitch, not just between the 45s, something purists would have to consider.

With this rule in place the need for a mark at midfield would become a moot point. Goalkeepers spend enough time between play setting up their plastic divots, the mark as it's currently being used just adds to the stop-start nature of set-play in gaelic football.

Ollie99 (Meath) - Posts: 442 - 09/02/2010 22:01:40    557058