Clean pick-up ‘will speed up football’

MICK O’DWYER is adamant the introduction of the clean pick-up — as used in the ladies and International Rules games — can speed up Gaelic football considerably and reduce the potential for refereeing error.

Revealing in Croke Park yesterday that he had already tried it at a number of training sessions with Laois, he said it had made "an unbelievable" difference to the pace at which the game could be played.

The pick-up is one of five main changes to the playing rules in football to be experimented with in the upcoming subsidiary competitions, with a more radical change proposed for hurling to award two points for a line ball hit (directly) over the bar.

There will be experimentation with a "sin-bin" in both games as well as the use of a plastic tee for goalkeeping kick-outs the powers of linesmen will be increased and referees will be directed to remove injured players from the sideline (except in cases of serious injury).

GAA president Seán Kelly believes that interest in the various competitions and in the upcoming National Leagues, will be enhanced as a result of the experiments.

Welcoming the fact that experimentation was allowed every five years (instead of 10, as was initially decided at the 2001 congress), he said it was not a matter of "tampering" with the rules.

"Every game evolves. This is a matter of looking at our game and how it can improve. It is an experiment and we will have a fair idea whether it works or not. But I'm quite sure that some of these will find acceptance and that we will have a better game as a result."

While Central Council had approved of the recommendations from the respective task forces (comprising GAA personnel, manager and player representatives), Mr Kelly said it was Ulster's prerogative not to engage in them in the McKenna Cup.

However, when it came to the National Leagues, all counties would need to be familiar with the changes.

Leinster chairman Nicky Brennan, who chaired the Hurling Task Force, feels that the experimentation in the subsidiary competitions may be more interesting. That's because people will have to make up their minds quickly about what they will send forward for ratification.

"Unless something goes badly wrong, I would imagine that the broad thrust of what's being experimented will be what will go to congress," he stated.

On the proposal to award two points for successful sideline shots, Brennan feels that while it's a rare enough occurrence, players might be encouraged to practice a bit more.

"What the changes are trying to do is help the skilful player and reward him in terms of hitting the ball from the ground or other facets of the game where there is negative play by others to 'take out' the skilful player."

The sin-bin can benefit hurling specifically by creating a "sort of half-way house" where a player can be sent off for 10 minutes for "a lesser offence" which might otherwise result in him being red-carded, he feels.

Connacht Council chairman Tommy Moran believes that the changes can make football more free-flowing and eliminate fouling. The intention is that it will "pay" a team to play good football! Some fouls that were cautionable up to now will incur a yellow card and an immediate sin-binning for 10 minutes of "actual" playing time. A second yellow on return will merit a red card and it's further proposed that the player should miss the next game in the competition. The issuing of straight red cards will not change.

Injured players (unless serious) will be removed from the field at the nearest point for treatment and if necessary removed by stretcher.

Explaining the reasoning, he said: "it was felt that a lot of players were feigning injuries and that the tactic was being used to slow up a game if another team is getting on top. We'll possibly see a lot of miraculous cures when stretchers are being carried around. Fellows will be jumping off them to get back into the play."

Top referee Pat McEnaney says that they will be looking more and more to linesmen to alert them to off-the-ball incidents. In general, he feels the changes will make their job easier.

Mick O'Dwyer remarked that there has always been "a big grey area" surrounding the pick-up and that it was "about time it was cleared up."

"I would say that 50% of pick-ups are let go and the other 50% are penalised and maybe at the finish it's the one that's let go can make a difference to a team. Remember what happened to Peter Canavan in the 1995 All-Ireland final against Dublin?

"Players will now be able to pick the ball up and deliver it quickly. It will definitely bring an improvement.

"We tried it out a couple of nights and it speeded up the play significantly. I think it's going to be great for the game. I have watched a number of the Ladies games and it works very well.

"People might say it's a skill you are taking out of the game but there's nothing to stop a player running at top speed from "chipping" the ball up, if he's capable of that. What you want to eliminate is fellows pulling and dragging at you and kicking at you when you go down to pick up a ball."

O'Dwyer said he had gained a measure of satisfaction from being involved in the consultative process, pointing out that he was a member of a rules revision committee 30 years ago and their recommendations were ignored.

"The only man that tried them out was Weeshie Fogarty when he was refereeing a game in Killarney in a Whit Sunday tournament," he said.

"We all thought they would bring great improvements. But when they came to Central Council, into the basket they went. This time we'll have a look at them and see what happens."