Council likely to pass ball on ‘Nash motion’ interpretation

The regular Central Council meeting which takes place tomorrow in Croke Park will have a little more national interest than usual as what has become known as the ‘Nash motion’ is set for debate.

To recap, Motion 58, as it’s formally known, is: “Amend Rule 4.25 T.O. 2014, Part 2, Playing Rules of Hurling to read: ‘To advance the ball deliberately from the place at which a free puck, penalty puck or sideline puck is to be struck from’.”

The motion was submitted by the GAA’s Standing Committee on playing rules and aimed specifically at curtailing the 20m free/penalty-taking practice of players, who had developed a style of throwing the ball higher and further in front than had been the practice, who strike the ball from on or around the 13m line.

Health and safety was the stated reason for the motion, protecting those on the goal-line from the risk of injury, but it opened a whole can of worms for the GAA.

Rule 4.25 states in part that it is a technical foul ‘to advance the ball deliberately from the place at which a free puck or sideline puck is to be taken’. In practice, however, whether using the jab-lift or ball-rolling style, at the point of striking almost every free in hurling is advanced by the free-taker, who throws the ball forward then steps into the strike for added distance or force.

The major problem is one of interpretation. Rule 2.2 states that ‘After a foul, play is restarted by a free puck or a throw-in where the foul(s) occurred’. An exception is specified in the event of a foul taking place inside the defending 20m line, in which case the free or penalty ‘shall be taken from the centre point of the 20m line’ (penalty) or ‘shall be taken from the 20m line opposite where the foul occurred’ (20m free).

When is the free/penalty deemed to have been taken? That’s the critical question Central Council will be trying to answer. Is it when the ball is first touched, as in the lifting action, or is it when the ball is actually struck?

Central Council is expected to give its interpretation of that rule tomorrow, but in reality its hands are pretty much tied. Any interpretation it gives cannot be applied only to 20m frees and penalties.

It’s not an easy question, evidenced already by the withdrawal of the motion to Congress. The most likely outcome — and probably the fairest — is that Central Council will hold off on any change now but will hand it over to the new Hurling Review body that was proposed by GAA president Liam O’Neill recently, at the launch of the 2014 Allianz Hurling League.

Already we are within one round of the completion of that league, with the existing interpretation applied thus far, several players use the Nash style, most recently Kilkenny’s TJ Reid when netting against Dublin on Saturday. The GAA is hardly likely to introduce such a major change so far into the new season.

The major focus must remain on penalising foul play inside the red zone, that the hurling ‘penalty’ should remain just that, a penalty. With health and safety the concern and the penalty taker is restricted to striking from the 20m line or outside, then a further rule change is surely required to have just one defender on the line. It will be an interesting tomorrow…