Referees chief calls for new rules patience

NATIONAL referees chief Mick Curley has urged GAA managers and players to reserve judgment on the new experimental playing rules until they have been viewed regularly in the coming weeks.

The weekend’s provincial pre-season competitions saw the debut of the mark in gaelic football along with modifications that were applied to the fist-passing and square ball rules.

The rules, particularly relating to the fist-pass, came in for criticism from several intercounty managers but Curley has pleaded for those involved to be patient.

“There’s no point in knocking them straight away. Nobody knows the final outcome or what the final impact of the rules will be. They were brought in to be a very positive influence and I think they should be given a full hearing before they are fully condemned.

“I think they will work. Over the long-term, if given the right opportunity to, they will work.”

Curley was in Tuam on Sunday to witness Joe Kernan’s competitive managerial debut for Galway in their FBD League clash against Sligo and despite criticism elsewhere of the changed fist pass rule from Kerry’s Jack O’Connor and Tipperary boss John Evans, Curley regarded the new rules as a success.

“I was at the Galway Sligo match myself and to be honest there were not many problems at the game. Talking to a few supporters on the way out of the ground, there was no real adverse reaction to the rules and there were no real controversial incidents. There was some criticism of the fisted pass rule change in other games, but most referees would welcome the return to the fisted pass and not have a problem with the change being made.

“It was very difficult to detect a striking action or non-striking action in the old days. It’s made much clearer now what is acceptable and what is not.

“It will be difficult for them to see every one of them of course if there are bodies in the way.

“But from the game I saw yesterday and the snippets I saw over the weekend on television, players seemed to be making a real effort to use the fist constantly.”

The introduction of the mark has been a radical element to the rule changes yet it did not receive a favourable response after the weekend’s matches.

Dublin manager Pat Gilroy, Kildare’s Kieran McGeeney and Tyrone supremo Mickey Harte all questioned the wisdom of the move, but Curley insists that it will enhance Gaelic football as a spectacle.

“The mark will improve the flow of the game and give credit to the person who fields the ball. That was one of the facets of Gaelic football that was being lost and this is an effort to bring back what is one of the highlights of the game. Now it will take time for players to get used to it as well as referees. The natural inclination for a player is to catch the ball from a kickout and take off to move forward. Whereas now they’ll have to do the opposite, go back a few yards and take a free. From what I saw in Tuam on Sunday though, it worked well.

“But ultimately we’re still in the early stages of it with the weekend just gone being the first time they were seen in action. The coming weeks will tell us more. I think the penalty change will work well. The taker of the penalty now has much more space as he’s not backing into the crowd of players. While the square ball rule change will help life for both referees and umpires.”