Murphy says sin bin proposal could still be adopted

THE sin bin proposal, controversially dropped by the Football Review Committee, could still be adopted by the GAA at the April Congress in Dublin.

Cork have submitted a motion remarkable for the fact that it identifies 55 rules it would affect which would see players being sin-binned for a ten-minute period after receiving two yellow cards. This would replace the rule (not experimental) where a player is sent off for the remainder of a game after being yellow-carded twice.

Board Secretary Frank Murphy said: "you have to bear in mind that you have to change every rule which states that the player who gets two yellow cards is sent off for the remainder of the game,'' he said. "Those 55 rules would have to be altered in a minute fashion, but nevertheless they all have to be specified in the motion for Congress. A drafting committee would have to make these minor changes later.''

Association president Sean Kelly suggested that the sin-bin experiment tried out in the subsidiary competitions in January would be next to impossible to operate at club level. Mr Murphy believes otherwise.

"The referee would determine when the ten-minute period has expired. And he would determine if there would be need for additional time in the event of a team deliberately slowing down the game in an effort to get a player back on the field sooner than he would be entitled to.

"At inter-county level the referee could be assisted by the fourth official and, in club games by the linesman. It really means that when a referee sends off a player he notes the time and he makes the final decision when the player returns. It would be a simple operation.''

The Cork proposal would also eliminate the element in the rule which stipulates that players sent off twice for two yellow card offences within a 48 week period receive a fortnight's suspension. It is difficult to maintain a situation that is applicable with players playing in so many types of competitions,'' added the Cork secretary.

Mr Murphy is chairman of a committee which has been examining the rule book for the past year. Two of their proposals recommending an arbitration rule and a central appeals authority will come before Congress. However, the major review will not be carried out until later in the year and will either be the subject of a Special Congress or come before the 2006 Congress.