Jim Gavin: What is the GAA’s vision for Gaelic football?

Jim Gavin has criticised the GAA for not indicating “a clear vision” of what they want Gaelic football to go.

And the All-Ireland winning boss also took aim at managers for going public in their opposition to the experimental rules.

Expressing frustration with the rule changes only applying for the Allianz League, the five-time All-Ireland winning manager commended the work of the playing rules committee but questioned why neither they nor the GAA’s powers-that-be articulated what they want the game to become.

“First and foremost, it needs to be remarked and acknowledged the endeavours of the rules committee for the time and effort they put into it to try and make the game better. If there was one thing you’d probably comment upon, there hasn’t been from them or indeed the leadership of the GAA a clear vision of what they want Gaelic football to be. Until we understand what that is we’ll get what’s going on at the moment.

“There is lots of actions without a vision and that’s a little bit of a nightmare.

“From Dublin’s perspective, I articulated my thoughts to the county board, I don’t believe managers should have a soap box to comment on them rightly or wrongly.

“It’s up to our own boards to make representations on behalf of the county not on behalf of one particular team so I had no issue with it. Whatever our governing body say in terms of rules we just get on with it.”

Gavin interpreted the rules committee as wanting football to ape hurling.

“I heard from the rules committee very early on, they were talking about trying to make it a game of contest. To me that’s trying to make the game a bit like hurling and they’re completely different games. In one, you can accurately pass the ball 70 yards. You could half that in Gaelic football so they’re completely different games with different equipment.

“Even though we play both codes I think one might be influencing the other.

“To go back to my original point, until the GAA articulate their vision of what they want Gaelic football to be, then we can understand the reason why these changes come in.

“To put a definite or a limitation hand-pass because there are too many hand-passes in the game, that doesn’t explain why teams are hand-passing more than they did in the past. So until we get the why from them (GAA chiefs), there’ll still be confusion and a bit of frustration from some quarters.”

A long-time advocate of the sin bin, Gavin would have preferred if the new rules were introduced on a permanent basis than for the league only. “Personally, I would have just got on with it and introduced them so you have it and when you go back to their clubs you have it.

We have players playing the Sigerson now on Wednesday and they have a completely different set of rules. They’re two completely different games.” Although he confirmed the likes of Stephen Cluxton and Bernard Brogan will be introduced to match-day panels in the coming weeks, Gavin gave a cryptic answer when asked about the situation with Diarmuid Connolly. “It’s like any player who volunteers their time for playing inter-county football. Those choices that they make are purely those choices and if players want to come back we’ll be delighted to have them.”

Asked if that meant Connolly did not want to return to the panel, Gavin replied: “No, that’s not what I said.”