Cooney: no referee change on handpass

GAA PRESIDENT Christy Cooney yesterday rejected the suggestion that referees have begun to take a more lenient stance over the controversial handpass rule.

The opening two weekends of the football championship were badly blighted by the new regulation which dictates that players may only play the ball with a closed fist or with an open hand motion provided it “involves a definite underhand motion”.

However, Pat McEnaney took what was agreed to be a more common sense approach to the issue last Sunday week during the Tyrone-Antrim game and Joe McQuillan followed suit three days ago when Down and Donegal met in Ballybofey.