Harte amazed as ‘goalposts’ moved

MICKEY HARTE is amazed the GAA has altered its criteria governing relegation and promotion in the National Leagues this year without ensuring that players and managers are fully aware of the consequences.

Unlike previous seasons whereby points difference would be used to separate counties involved in the annual snakes and ladders, if two counties finish on equal points they will be separated on the basis of their head-to-head meetings.

However, if three or more counties finish on the same points then the old points difference rule will be applied.

Therefore, were Tyrone to finish level with Monaghan next week, and one of them was to be relegated, it would be the 2008 All-Ireland champions on the basis that they lost the meeting between the pair earlier this month.

However, were Tyrone, Monaghan and Derry – for example – to all finish on equal points then their scoring averages would be the determining factor in who goes up and who goes down.

“That must be a new rule then,” said a clearly stunned Harte after Saturday night’s victory over Kerry in Omagh’s Healy Park which keeps their hopes of avoiding the drop into Division Two alive. So, they tell us when the season is over? That’s unreal, that we are playing games of that nature and that our season depends on something that nobody has actually told us about.”

Harte was equally critical of other grey areas in the rule book and it was interesting to note that he spent a number of minutes in conversation with referee Padraig Hughes on the pitch before Saturday’s game.

“Nobody has told us whether the ball has actually crossed the 20-metre line from a kick out either. I believe it shouldn’t have to because the kick out from the 13-metre line replaces all other kick outs.

“The only one that had to come outside the 20-metre line was the wide ball kick out and we don’t have it any more so, therefore, why should any kick out have to go outside the 20?”