Eugene McGee believes that the introduction of the black card into Gaelic games has proved a success in its first year.

McGee currently holds the chairman position of Croke Park's Football Review Committee, the group which is responsible for introducing the black card, and is satisfied that it has fulfilled its primary functions.

"Some things stick out. There are less frees and more scores, that's the first thing. You'd have to wait until next year to see if that's maintained but there's no particular reason why it wouldn't be," McGee told the Irish Examiner.

"The goals are up, the points are up and there have been fewer cards and frees. That has to be good and we've seen a similar trend in club games. A lot of people might have thought club referees would ignore it, I felt myself it might be a danger.

"It was never going to revolutionise football, but the minute there's any attempt to curb indiscipline in the GAA, there's an automatic kick-back from a lot of people.

"The standard reply is physicality is being taken out of the game."

He feels that this past summer has seen better spectacles  thanks to the clamping down on cynical fouling.

"There was a strong minority lobbying against it but most of those have come out since and said it was a good idea," he added.

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