Mark unfairly punishes those who perfected group tackling

The introduction of the mark has been criticised from several different perspectives — lack of a trial period, increasing the burden on referees — but it’s surely the first GAA rule change made for aesthetic reasons. It’s as if Oscar Wilde had joined the Association’s Standing Committee on Playing Rules.

It’s fair enough to declare that spectators like to see players field a ball over their head. It’s also fair enough if they don’t like to see a successful catch followed up by opponents swarming all over the catcher. But since when did what you prefer to see become the basis for the rules of the game?

The status of particular skills in a game is always subject to change. It never remains static, no matter what that sport is. There was a time when the foot-rush was a potent weapon in the armoury of any rugby pack trying to make ground; there was also a time when overhead pulling in hurling was both a test of nerve and an accepted way to get the ball upfield.