Camogie chiefs to tackle the thorny issue of tackling

Incoming Camogie Association President Hilda Breslin.

Camogie’s experimental playing rules will be voted on at next month’s virtual Congress, with incoming president Hilda Breslin describing the feedback to the rules trialled last year as “very positive”.

Camogie Congress will take place on Saturday, April 10 and unlike the recent GAA and LGFA Congresses, there will be no deferral of contentious motions to an in-person Special Congress later in the year.

There are six proposed playing rules that delegates will vote on, one of which, if passed, would permit a player to shoulder an opponent. Most of the proposed rules require two-thirds backing if they are to come into effect at club and inter-county level for the 2021 season.

Current rules

At present, the Camogie Association rulebook states that a player may tackle an opponent by “shadowing the player without deliberating interfering with the hurley or body of an opponent”. 

The rulebook also says a camogie player cannot “deliberately shoulder an opponent”.

This lack of permitted physical contact is expected to be ended at Congress, with the proposal that “a player may use minimal contact on an opponent’s body from side-on, once they are making a reasonable effort to gain possession of the ball” likely to achieve the necessary 66% support.

Hilda Breslin, who will take over from Kathleen Woods as Camogie Association president at next month’s Congress, said the feedback to the trialling of this rule during last year’s League and All-Ireland Championship had been “exceptionally positive”.

There was always physicality within the game, I don't accept there wasn’t physicality. This [proposed change], maybe, has brought consistency to the application of the rule and it has probably clarified it a little. 

"It is not full contact, it is minimal and it can’t be dangerous play. It has brought a clarification on the rules and I would hope that will filter down through all the grades,” said Breslin.

“In our feedback and in any of the surveys we have done, that is coming back as probably the most positive trial rule.”

Other changes

The other proposed changes include allowing a quick puckout after a wide; a player deemed to be persistently fouling (two deliberate fouls) will be given a 'tick' by the referee, followed by a yellow card if they commit another foul after receiving said tick; allowing a free be taken from the hand if the player is fouled inside their own 45-metre line; outlawing the intentional dropping of the hurley and hand-passed goals; and only one person may stand on the goalline for a penalty.

“Under Camogie Association rules, we can only take playing rules to Congress every three years. 2021 is a playing rules year. We have had very positive feedback so we are going to Congress with the trial rules. An in-person Congress wouldn't happen until Autumn and that for us would be too late. We'd miss another whole season, which we didn't want to do. They will be voted on individually, one by one, in the hope that we would get them all through.”

Any of the proposed playing rules passed at Congress will come into effect 30 days later on May 10. If inter-county competitions throw-in earlier than May 10, Ard Chomhairle has the power to make any new playing rule operational before this date.