Poll shows football bosses still divided

FOOTBALL managers remain divided on the effect that the new yellow card system is having on the code.

In a poll of intercounty bosses after the debut of the rules, six were against the changes, five in favour and one, Galway's Peter Forde was undecided.

Of the five in favour, four used the phrase "more free-flowing" in explaining their reasoning. Clare's John Kennedy was one to say 'yea' even though he saw both Conor Whelan and Mark O'Connor trudge to the line against Roscommon.

"We had Conor sent off for a harmless enough foul where he made slight contact with one of their lads off the ball. He was called up on it and that's the bottom line. Mark was sent off for checking a guy going for a return pass on a one-two, so the rules definitely add to a more free-flowing game.

"You just can't get away with any of that off the ball stuff under these new rules."

The issue is far from black and white. Even those in favour all seemed to add a 'but'. Kennedy was the same.

"It does seem a bit harsh at times but it's more a case of punishing the individual rather than the team as well. Maybe a second cautionable offence would be better for a yellow card. The worry is that, come the championship or even the end of the league when there is that bit more bite in games, you're going to have lads going in that bit harder and sent to the line easier."

John Maughan, Paul Caffrey, Brian McEniff and Mick O'Dwyer were the others to praise the new rules.

The dissenters numbered Páidí Ó Sé, Sean Boylan, Mickey Moran, Mickey Harte, Offaly boss Kevin Kilmurray and Kildare's Padraig Nolan.

In total, seven players saw yellow in Derry's draw with Meath in the 2B clash. Not surprisingly, Boylan and Moran were far from happy.

"Two or three players came off and said, 'If I'm going to train this hard and make sacrifices to play in a game with rules like that, then it'll not be very long before I'm not here'," said Moran. "That's the sad reality. Myself and Sean Boylan thought it was an absolute disgrace. In saying that, Gerry Kinneavy did fantastically well. But everybody is put in a terrible position. Nobody knew what was going on. The fourth official was probably the busiest man in the ground."

Meanwhile Croke Park has emphatically rejected a claim that the GAA is "criminally negligible" by not making helmets compulsory in hurling.

Dr John MacMahon, a GP and sports doctor claimed at a recent medical conference that the GAA could be vulnerable to legal action by not making hurlers wear protective head gear.

The GAA's Head of Games, Pat Daly, yesterday stated that, as of January 1, all players up to and including minor are obliged to wear helmets.

Daly also stressed that the Association strongly recommends the wearing of proper helmets with faceguards at all levels of the game.

"The new rule up to minor is a quantum leap forward in this regard," said Daly. "What you have to remember is that a number of senior players have said that, if the wearing of helmets was made obligatory, they would not wear them. This is an educational process. It's just not possible to introduce it right away.

"What we are trying to do now is condition players from a young age to wear helmets so it becomes natural as they reach senior level."

Dr Con Murphy, who chairs the GAA's Medical Committee said face guards could be made mandatory at all levels by 2007, while President Sean Kelly has also spoken in favour of their introduction right across the board.

Stephen Beatty, surgeon at Waterford Regional Hospital, stated at the conference that up to two players a year go blind from hurling injuries.

However a lot of hurlers risk severe injury because they find helmets "uncomfortable."

Much of the problem at present is that many players are wearing helmets of insufficient quality or doctoring them for reasons of comfort.

"At present we do have a situation where players are doctoring their helmets. We also have players wearing helmets that do not carry the necessary mark of safety approval."