McGee says teams will adapt to avoid black cards

Football Review Committee chairman Eugene McGee believes teams will learn to keep down the number of black cards in games.

Speaking at the GAA’s games development conference in Croke Park over the weekend, McGee defended the proposal, which has been criticised by inter-county managers.

Even though there is a provision in the recommendation for teams being punished for picking up more than three black cards in a game, McGee can’t see many infringing that much.

“The average numbers over the last number of recent years has been six — six between the two teams. They barely average one sending off [black] card per game. If the black card comes in I can guarantee you there will never be more than three in a match.

“After the first one has gone off, the manager is surely going to start saying at half time or whatever, ‘this has got to stop. No more of these, full stop’.

“That would be part of our target — to ensure that the players first of all take personal responsibility, which a lot of them do not do, and also that managers would have extra responsibility in their job to stop wayward people who constantly foul the same way they may constantly kick the ball wide from 14 yards.”

Longford manager Glen Ryan, who was on the discussion panel with McGee, objected strongly to the black card as well as the proposal to allow the ball to be directly picked up off the ground.

However, Kerry ladies’ William O’Sullivan highlighted the advantages of the latter step, which is permitted in the women’s game.

“It’s obviously going to be a bone of contention for people and Glen, in particular, would feel that the current pick-up shouldn’t be lost to the game.

“But I would suggest the pick-up as it is in ladies’ football is a skill in itself. You still have to bend your back, there are still fundamental movement skills involved, there’s good core stability needed.

“If we can refer to the game of rugby, one of the finest pieces of skills I ever saw on any pitch was Brian O’Driscoll’s try against the All Blacks a couple of years ago (2010) when he picked the ball one handed off the ground and went in for a try. I think it will speed up the game and it will make it easier for referees.”