Proposal to restore January pre-season competitions falls short by two votes

PRE-SEASON COMPETITIONS: A proposal to restore January’s pre-season competitions fell short by just two votes after a second count was required on Saturday. Picture: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

A proposal to restore January’s pre-season competitions fell short by just two votes after a second count was required on Saturday.

Central Council delegates were asked to vote electronically by 8pm after the first vote in Croke Park earlier that day was later deemed void at a meeting described by one delegate as “combative” and another as “sour”.

The motion to rescind the decision made by Central Council at their September meeting was considered to have failed following a call for a show of hands in favour of it. However, the number of delegates who opted against the proposal were not counted nor those who abstained.

As some delegates had left by the time the error was realised, the 60% majority required for the motion to pass could not be ascertained and a second poll was needed.

The result of the second vote, which was conducted by email, revealed 27 delegates (57%) supported the recall of the pre-season competitions, 20 voted against it and there were two abstentions.

GAA president Jarlath Burns, who had backed the previous call to disband the pre-season competitions, faced strong opposition from members of Management Committee including Ulster chairman Ciarán McLaughlin and a number of provincial representatives Mattie Kilroy (Galway), Terry Reilly (Antrim) and Brendan Tobin (Waterford).

A number of Central Council delegates also spoke for the previous decision to be overturned. Among them were Dublin’s Jim Roche and Cavan’s Tom O’Reilly who had put forward the proposal for the likes of the McKenna, O’Byrne and McGrath Cups to be played in 2025.

Cork and Kerry voted in favour of the January competitions being suspended. A delegate from another county had been mandated to support their restoration but abstained in the first vote.

Prior to that, ESRI senior research officer and GAA amateur status committee member Eilish Kelly gave a presentation to Central Council on the pressures faced by inter-county players and the impact on their mental health.

Saturday’s events came as there is growing anecdotal evidence of at least two counties having already returned to collective training in contravention of the December 7 return date.

Following the previous decision to disband the pre-season competitions, the Gaelic Players Association described November as a “zero contact” month for inter-county players. Next Sunday, November 3, Clare’s All-Ireland winning hurlers will face a Club All-Stars selection in a fundraiser for the team’s forthcoming team holiday to the US. While the game is expected to be exhibition in nature, whether it adheres to such a policy is debatable.

Meanwhile, Central Council and Management Committee endorsed the revised list of football rule changes and they will now go to Special Congress on November 30.

In a presentation by Football Review Committee (FRC) chairman Jim Gavin, delegates were informed of the amendments as reported by the “Irish Examiner” earlier this week.

The value of a goal has been returned to three points from four and a 45 kicked between the posts will only count for one point. Following a suggestion by a delegate, a two-pointer will be signalled with the raising of an orange flag as opposed to a red following a two-handed signal by the referee.

The wording of the FRC’s new black card offence for holding an opponent was also altered and now reads: “to prevent or restrict, or to attempt to prevent or restrict, an opponent from moving or from playing the ball, by holding up an opponent”.

Also, the punishment for a goalkeeper receiving a pass outside the small rectangle from a team-mate who must also be inside it or beyond the halfway line will be a free kick from the position where the goalkeeper received the pass. If they illegally take receipt of the pass inside their own 13-metre line, the free will be kicked from the 13m line opposite where the foul took place.

The bodies also agreed that the Allianz Football League Division 1 cup is to be renamed Corn Mhíchíl Uí Mhuircheartaigh in honour of the RTÉ Gaelic games broadcaster who passed away in June.