Maurice Brosnan: Gaelic football is on the cusp of radical change. It will need even more
CHANGE IS COMING: The new Gaelic football rules can be rescinded or amended at any time. That doesn’t mean that they should be. Picture: Piaras Ó Mídheach / Sportsfile
The Sigerson Cup and the All-Ireland club championships will both proceed with the old rules but after that, it is all systems go for 2025 to be a trial year. “In some ways, the work only starts now,” said Jim Gavin last month. Gaelic football is on the cusp of radical change. It will need even more. Is that inevitable?
Change certainly is. The game is always evolving. 21 aside to 17 to 15. Closed fist hand-passes. Open fist. Substitutions increased. Black cards. Marks. Advanced marks. Nothing stands still.
Speaking on the Irish Examiner’s Gaelic football podcast, Football Review Committee member James Horan predicted a spike in frees while everyone gets familiar with the new rules.
“I would say there will be a big surge in frees initially and then it will go to overall net reduction in frees across the league.”
There is still a possibility that new rules are introduced or current trials are withdrawn at any point. The FRC have stressed they do not want to damage the integrity of any competition. Even still, how would a league title be remembered if parts of it are played under different rules?
It shouldn’t. Championships have been played under similar circumstances. In 2019, the black card, kickout, sideline and forward mark trials were in place for the league but not the championship. Covid saw the league suspended for several months and championship games played in front of no crowd. Every team is dealt the same hand, they are playing the same game with the same chance to win.
When the ball is played over the endline or after a score, “play is restarted by a kickout off the ground from the centre point of the 20m line and shall be kicked forward. If the goalkeeper is not taking the kick-out, the goalkeeper shall stay in the small rectangle. All other players should be at least 13m from the ball until it is kicked. The player taking a kick-out may kick the ball more than once before any other player touches it but may not take the ball into the hands.”
The existing rule allowed for a goalkeeper to kick it himself, but it also required all other players be outside the 20m line. That isn’t the case anymore. Goalkeepers can and will go lightning-quick. Stephen Cluxton previously used speedy restarts to find a free player. The same will happen in 2025.
That is not to say they will take the risk of letting a goalkeeper kick it to himself and dribble out the pitch. However, will a number one throw the ball to the nearest man on the 20m line and let him get it off quickly? A team somewhere will try to carry the ball back into the large rectangle to pass back to their goalkeeper and beat the press. It should be a season with plenty of creativity and hilarity.
The new Gaelic football rules can be rescinded or amended at any time. That doesn’t mean that they should be. Making significant change mid-competition would result in understandable irritation for players, managers and officials. That means that the one-week gap between the league finals and the start of the 2025 championship will be crucial.
“It is the fairest, if you are making changes ideally it would be then,” said Horan.
“There might be some minor changes that wouldn’t have a significant impact, the hooter or something. But certainly, the main ones that could impact the result of a game, you’d have to think it has to be that break between the two competitions to keep the integrity of both.”
There were 219 goals scored in the 2024 championship, including the Tailteann Cup. 2023 recorded the lowest average number of goals, 1.8, in 11 years. 2024 was the highest since 1989 with 2.8 per game.
More phases and more shots (especially from distance where they are liable to drop short) means more goals should come as a result. However, the FRC’s decision to withdraw the four-point goal could see teams target more two-pointers and work on putting the ball dead.
The pleas for patience were immediate. This will take time. There will be mistakes. Over the past few weeks training initiatives for inter-county and club referees have commenced. Frustration with certain calls, debates around pitch markings or black cards are inevitable but the FRC hope that gradually the game moves in the right direction.
Everyone will have a say in that. Officials are coming to terms with the new order, so are coaches and players. There is no blueprint now. They will make tactical and technical errors. Twelve managers are in their first year, dealing with all the logistics of that as well as a host of new rules. It is easy to have some sympathy for them now. The true test comes later.
Now only a team captain can speak to the referee to seek clarification of a decision and it can only happen during a break in play. This rule looks inspired by rugby and in that sport, there are specific considerations to be made around that. When selecting a captain, their ability to communicate with referees and argue a point is a considerable factor. The ideal choice is a player at the centre of play rather than the fringes. Will a team decide to swap their quiet full-back skipper for a respected midfielder?
A game with lower scoring means you have more chance of an upset. A high-scoring game, like hurling, makes it much more difficult for an underdog to pull off a shock. More space, a rise in the ball in play time and more scoring should see the average winning margin go up.
The ambition is stated. Gaelic football will be the most exciting amateur sport in the world to play and watch. It is simultaneously a clear and vague target. Here’s the thing. To achieve that aim at inter-county level, it will take more than changing the playing rules. There are live and obvious issues with the current championship structure. It will be an improvement if the top-tier teams produce more quality contests. They have done so in recent seasons; this process will hopefully make it the norm rather than the exception. Glaring imbalances can’t be masked by these trials, in certain cases it is more likely they will be further exposed. The problem with the provincial championship isn’t going away. Gaelic football is on the cusp of radical change. It will need even more.
