Replays on way after tweak

REPLAYS will apply to all senior championship games excluding qualifiers if a Central Council motion is passed at next April’s Congress.

Delegates on Saturday agreed to back a proposal, which is an attempt to amend the motion to introduce the facility of replays for all SFC and SHC games, something both GAA president Christy Cooney and director general Páraic Duffy have described as unworkable.

Duffy had previously suggested a compromise was in the offing to appease provincial councils, who were the major backers of the successful proposal at Congress last April.

In a quid pro quo gesture, councils have agreed to back a proposal for extra-time to apply to all their club championships games.

Munster chairman Sean Walsh believes the arrangement is a fair one.

“It was never our intention for the rule to apply to qualifiers,” said Walsh.

“All we wanted was replays to come into effect for Munster quarter-finals.”

Leinster chairman Martin Skelly backed up Walsh’s point, emphasising the provision of replays at inter-county provincial level will hardly affect club championships.

“We never intended for the qualifiers to be included because of the tight schedule. But in June there are hardly any counties playing club championships.

“There’s the financial aspect as well and a replay wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.”

As part of the recommendations, all U21 championship games will have the facility of extra-time as will minor fixtures except for provincial and All-Ireland finals. Were the new proposals to be accepted, Na Piarsaigh and Crusheen’s Munster final would have gone to extra-time as opposed to a replay.

Walsh believes dropping replays from club championship games is not a major drawback for the provinces.

“That might not be a bad thing at all,” insisted Walsh. “We’re playing them at the worst time of the year and couldn’t finish our football championship in the calendar year last season and were fortunate to have played at all in January. It’s a tight schedule coming up to Christmas anyway.”

Agreeing the council’s concession was a case of give and take, Skelly added: “There has to be an acceptance that you have to have extra-time if you want competitions brought to a conclusion in a reasonable timeframe.”

Meanwhile, GAA head of games development Pat Daly has confirmed none of the playing rule changes proposed will be trialled in the Allianz Leagues. The recommendations from the playing rules committee will instead be voted on at Congress in Portlaoise next April.

A modification to the “square ball” rule in football will see players allowed to be in the parallelogram from the last play before the ball enters the area while referees will be able to consult more with their linesmen and umpires before making decisions.

Substitutions can be made when frees are taken as well as during other breaks in play, while the trip is to be redefined as that which includes by the leg.

The “toe tap and play” suggestion has been postponed as it is felt the idea needs to be trialled.

“The mechanics of that have yet to be worked out,” said Daly.

“Realistically, what you’re looking at is it being trialled, refined and then defined. Were it to be implemented now, it could be counter-productive.”

Meanwhile, Daly believes the increase in the height of goal-posts to assist in score detection will be done on an evolutionary basis.

“You will see over the fullness of time the length of goalposts at county grounds will be increased to the 13 metre height as is the case in Croke Park at the moment.

“But there are significant costs attached to having stronger foundations which have to be that far deeper.Hawk Eye is another step in the right direction in score detection.”