Connacht chiefs defend new regulations

CONNACHT Council chiefs, who instigated the controversial hand pass rule change, have launched a stinging response to critics of the revised regulations.

Managers in three provinces were incensed on Sunday with the approach of referees to the law that a fisted pass or a hand-pass be underhand only.

They claimed the ruling had come in under the radar and that players and officials were not fully briefed on what was – or wasn’t acceptable.

However Connacht Council secretary John Prenty last night fired back at those who have questioned the change.

Prenty said: “I don’t think the rule is confusing at all. It’s simple. People are talking about new rules being blamed because 13 fellows got booked in one match, but fellows get booked no matter what the rules are!

“You’d swear this thing came out last Friday. Congress was on April the 16/17, so counties know about it.

“If team managers or players have a problem with their county board that’s not my problem……

“People had the motions for Congress weeks before but there wasn’t a mention of it (publicly) in the run-up to it. And there were alternative motions. To say that people didn’t know about them means that either they didn’t bother reading them or didn’t take any notice!’’

The rule originated with the Connacht Council in February when it was steered through annual convention and then passed onto Congress where it received strong approval a month ago.

The motivation was ‘to bring clarity’ to the situation following what Prenty described as ‘a lot of confusion’ following implementation of the experimental ‘fisted pass’ regulation earlier in the season. They had decided to act following consultation with their Coaching & Games committee and Competitions Control Committee members.

“There was a ‘who-ha’ about the fisted pass, so we gave the counties an option.

“We suggested players would have the option of the fist or the hand, provided there was a definite under-hand striking action. It was passed by a substantial majority at Congress. The President didn’t even need to call for a count.”

“It was a different angle from the committee which proposed the experimental rules and it was passed easy enough (at convention).We wanted to bring clarity to the situation and debar players from throwing the ball to the right and to the left and over their head,” he said.

“The big thing we were against was slinging it and throwing, overhand flicks and stuff like that and there were none of those Sunday that I saw.’’

Prenty was surprised by the reaction to the rules especially by The Sunday Game panelists.

“Next week it will be something else. Those boys find it easier to criticise things than analyse games.”