John Fogarty: Hurling managers have little to fear about sin bin

Something to keep in mind is just how specific this sin bin rule is. Try and apply the sin bin to cynical fouls in last year’s championship and we can only categorically call two out of 10 certainties and four most definitely weren’t

SIN WHEN YOU’RE WINNING: Tipperary’s Seamus Callanan is fouled by Galway’s Adrian Tuohey in last year’s All-Ireland SHC quarter-final, an act of cynicism that would result in a sin bin this year. Picture: Inpho/James Crombie

In January, this newspaper listed seven examples of cynical fouls over the course of last year’s All-Ireland senior hurling championship. It accompanied an interview with GAA director of games development Pat Daly in which he said the organisation had a moral obligation to tackle cynicism.

Less than seven weeks later and the sin bin was voted in and will become a reality this Saturday when it makes its debut. The working of the rule will be explained at a briefing tomorrow and it most certainly needs to be simplified as much as possible.

Last week, 2020 All-Ireland SHC final referee Fergal Horgan echoed this column’s sentiments that if a player sees fit to pull down, trip, or carelessly use his hurley to stop an opponent inside the 20 metre line or “D” then it is most likely he is preventing a goal opportunity.

Therefore, he should be sent to the line for 10 minutes, booked, and the other team receive a penalty. But what if there are other defenders standing in the way of a goal? That has to be clarified.

A black card would be the most appropriate way of sending a player to the line, but the proposal to introduce it to hurling failed to receive one-third support at Congress last year. The playing rules committee had to be creative in getting a similar proposal on the agenda this year but, backed by the recent context of a Championship laden with cynical fouls, they were successful.

This week and into next, you will hear from inter-county managers that it wasn’t needed, that last year’s season was an outlier when in fact the playing rules body discovered 48% of fouls awarded were “cynical or disruptive” in 20 high-profile games they studied from 2017 to ‘19.

But something to keep in mind is just how specific this sin bin rule is. For it to be awarded, it must fulfil three pieces of criteria — take place inside the 20m or semi-circle, be one of three cynical fouls and deny a goal-scoring chance. A penalty requires two.

Try and apply the sin bin to cynical fouls in last year’s championship and we can only categorically call two out of 10 certainties and four most definitely weren’t:

All-Ireland final: William O’Donoghue illegally holds up Stephen Bennett and the Waterford forward falls to the ground.

Verdict: Possibly a sin bin. A goal looked on, but it wasn’t a pulldown per se and there were two another Limerick defenders anticipating.

Declan Hannon impedes Dessie Hutchinson after he had beaten Barry Nash.

Verdict: Not a sin bin. Didn’t happen inside the 20m line. It was also more a bodycheck than a trip and again there were two Limerick defenders inside.

All-Ireland quarter-final: Adrian Tuohey grabs hold of Seamus Callanan and drags him to the ground.

Verdict: Sin bin. Took place inside the D, one of the prescribed cynical fouls and although Gearóid McInerney was waiting to challenge Callanan too, the Tipperary captain was teed up for a goal chance.

All-Ireland qualifier: Shane Kingston has only Dublin goalkeeper Alan Nolan to beat but is tackled at his knees by Paddy Smyth and blown for overcarrying.

Verdict: Sin bin as all three criteria are met, but referee John Keenan felt Kingston made the first foul.

Donal Burke is unceremoniously dumped out over the endline by a Colm Spillane hit.

Verdict: Not a sin bin. More an aggressive foul than a cynical one.

Leinster final: Huw Lawlor is rounded by Niall Burke and grabs hold of his hurley to stop his progress.

Verdict: Not a sin bin. Cynical, yes, and took place inside the 20m line but not one of the three cynical fouls.

Leinster semi-final: Shane Cooney drags down Liam Ryan as the Wexford defender hones in on goal.

Verdict: Possibly a sin bin. Cooney didn’t have to make the foul as there were other Galway defenders in front of Ryan, but it did happen inside the 20m line and was a pulldown;

Jason Flynn is brought down by Joe O’Connor as he angles in on goal.

Possibly a sin bin. No doubt about the area or the foul, but there were two Wexford defenders in close proximity between Flynn and the goal.

Kevin Foley brings down Brian Concannon although advantage is played.

Verdict: Possibly a sin bin. Close to goal and a pulldown, the only question remaining is was it a goal-scoring chance given Simon Donohue stood in his way.

Leinster quarter-final: Danny Sutcliffe trips Paddy Purcell.

Verdict: Not a sin bin. Didn’t occur inside the 20m line or D.

On one hand, these examples highlight the grey area around the definition of a goalscoring opportunity, but on the other, how difficult it is going to be for referees to sin bin a player?

Managers may not have as much to fear about it as they think.

Camogie chiefs read room wrong again

Cork's Ashling Thompson. Picture: INPHO/Cathal Noonan

Ashling Thompson would never be accused of couching her language so it was no surprise when she fired both barrels at the Camogie Association’s fixtures schedule on Saturday.

“The ONLY association to go against split season,” tweeted the Cork midfielder. “No wonder camogie is a dying sport in this country with the amount of negativity & detriment @OfficialCamogie personnel have caused in recent years. An overhaul is needed before our sport is a thing of the past.”

Having proposed and adopted the new playing rules that will make a change for the good, the Camogie Association can’t be completely dismissed but they have shown an unbecoming stubbornness regarding fixtures and this latest episode, while it might be resolved, only lends to the theory that they find it difficult to read the room.

Perhaps they felt the Gaelic Players Association’s 82% support for a split season wasn’t representative of clubs. The poll that they have commissioned will reveal if they were right but it really shouldn’t take something like that to know how clubs would feel about their county players not being able to commit to them exclusively this summer.

By the time the poll is completed, it could be less than seven days out from the start of the National Leagues, which 84% of inter-county players have said they will boycott if the current season structure isn’t altered.

That the Camogie Association are acting conciliatory is a welcome move but then they were cornered into doing so and it now appears as much as a face-saving exercise as anything else.

Adopting a revised fixtures plan could be done a lot quicker.

Hurling league wish-list

Limerick's Richie English up against John McGrath of Tipperary. Picture: INPHO/James Crombie

L imerick: A fit-again Richie English and possibly Mike Casey. Some of the fringe players like Pat Ryan to grab a starting jersey and retain it.

Waterford: One of Stephen O’Keeffe’s former understudies to make the No,1 jersey his own, Iarlaith Daly to settle into the half-back line.

Galway: A better puck-out strategy, a fully-fit David Burke, and a fresh touch-up to the defence.

Kilkenny: A goal-getter to make up for Colin Fennelly’s absence and a midfield that is not going to chopped and changed.

Tipperary: The likes of Mark Kehoe to nail down a starting place and a signal or two from the class of 2010 that they can go one more time.

Clare: To go even direct more now that John Conlon is back and Aron Shanagher shouldn’t be as upset by injuries.

Cork: There should be no concerns about Patrick Collins in goal but fresher faces elsewhere on the field will need games to bed in. Alan Connolly’s time to shine?

Dublin: A relatively clear injury list, a couple of starts for Liam Rushe and maybe Chris Crummey returning to defence.

Wexford: A more dynamic team effort across the board and Rory O’Connor operating closer to goal.

Laois: A return to the manic work-rate of 2019 when they were the ones doing the intimidating.

Westmeath: Davy Glennon proving a point to his native county Galway by leading in maroon.

Antrim: Avoiding the relegation play-off would be a huge success for Darren Gleeson’s side.

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