Square ball rule could be dropped in new GAA shake-up

THE possibility of both the square ball rule being scrapped and Hawk-Eye score detection technology being introduced for the 2012 football championships has moved a step closer.

GAA director general Paraic Duffy revealed he’d be “surprised” if a new committee, to be convened shortly to review controversial playing rules, doesn’t suggest an amendment to the current square ball rule.

This year’s championship has been blighted by controversial calls regarding square ball goals, not least of which was last weekend’s decision to rule out Kildare full-forward Tomás O’Connor’s seemingly legal strike against Donegal.

Of course, the potential abolition of the square ball rule wouldn’t stop officials from making wrong calls if scores had actually registered. However, if Duffy’s comments yesterday are anything to go by then Hawk-Eye score detection technology — currently used successfully in cricket and tennis — appears in a strong position to at least get a trial run at Croke Park next year.

Duffy confirmed the committee charged with assessing the feasibility of Hawk-Eye in a GAA context will report back to Croke Park chiefs with their findings in the next two weeks.

The following day, the identity of the committee members charged with reviewing GAA rules will be revealed at a Central Council gathering and, ultimately, this new committee is strongly expected to bring a motion to next year’s Annual Congress urging for an overhaul, or complete rejection, of the current square ball rule.

“They have to bring their proposals for next year to the October meeting of Central Council,” said Duffy.

“So I’d say between August and October, I would imagine, they’ll be looking at that [square ball] rule and it would be a matter for them to bring a proposal to Congress next year. But I think there’s a strong case for doing that.”

For the second year running Kildare exited the championship with a sour taste. In 2010 Down progressed at the Lilywhites’ expense thanks, in part, to an illegal goal from Benny Coulter.

So far this summer, Meath’s Graham Geraghty, Derry’s Enda Muldoon and O’Connor have had goals ruled out for square ball infringements that were heavily debated.

As for Hawk-Eye, Duffy offered some hope of it being used on a trial basis in 2012.

“I think there might be a case for doing it on a pilot basis, perhaps even in Croke Park for one or two years, making sure that it was absolutely technologically 100% sound and seeing how it worked.”

If the committee dealing with Hawk-Eye suggest that the technology be installed in every ground that hosts a championship game, however, then a major cost factor would come into the association’s thinking, as a full roll-out would cost around €500,000.

Duffy said: “Obviously the more you roll it out the more costly because every venue would have to have a separate Hawk-Eye system.

“There will have to be a decision make fairly quickly after that. We are not going to drag this out forever.”

Picture: Paraic Duffy: GAA’s director general is open to ideas.