GAA ready to trial one-on-one hurling penalties

One-on-one penalties in hurling will be trialled in next month’s Waterford Crystal and Walsh Cup competitions as part of the Hurling 2020 committee’s recommendations.

The new format will be introduced in January before it is decided to put forward a motion to Congress.

The Hurling 2020 group, led by former Tipperary manager Liam Sheedy, will announce their full list of recommendations on Tuesday, January 6. The idea of experimenting with the one-versus-one penalty was raised at last week’s Waterford annual convention.

On The Sunday Game earlier this year, Sheedy had made his feelings known about the poor conversion rate of penalties since takers were instructed early in the Championship not to lift the ball beyond the 20-metre line.

That interpretation of the rule came about when Waterford’s Stephen O’Keeffe sprinted towards Anthony Nash to block his free during the sides’ Munster quarter-final replay.

In the two pre-season competitions, penalty takers will be instructed to hit the ball before or on the 20m line against the opposing goalkeeper.

Meanwhile former Galway All-Ireland winner Tomás Meehan has been appointed as the GAA’s first chief information officer. The Caltra man, the older brother of Declan and Michael, is a graduate of DCU and Trinity College. He will haveresponsibility for the development,implementation and operation of the GAA’s information technology strategy and will oversee all information systems infrastructure within theAssociation.

n GAA director general Paraic Duffy will continue in the position beyond January 31, when his current contract expires.

Although the term of the new contract will not be finalised until a later date, it’s anticipated the Monaghan man will remain on foranother two years.

Duffy has been widely applauded for his work since taking over from Liam Mulvihill in 2008, with GAA president Liam O’Neill earlier this year revealing it was his intention to ensure Duffyremain in the role for the foreseeable future. Duffy’s continuance is alsoimportant as Aogán Ó Fearghail succeeds O’Neill at the end of February.