'Men’s and women’s rules should be the same,' insists camogie star Laura Ward
Laura Ward of Sarsfields, Galway, pictured ahead of this weekend's AIB Camogie All-Ireland Senior Club Championship final. Picture: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
Please just let us play hurling, under the exact same rules as men.
That’s the appeal from Laura Ward, captain of the Sarsfields’ camogie superpower who are chasing their third All-Ireland senior club title against Dicksboro of Kilkenny in Croke Park on Sunday (5:15pm).
The Camogie Association is trialling some new rules in this season’s third level competitions and allowing ‘shoulder-to-shoulder’ charges, something modern players have long campaigned for, is noticeably among them.
Heretofore there has been a reluctance from camogie’s governing body to allow direct ‘shoulders.’ based on a fear of injuries.
Girls tend to play senior for their clubs at a younger age than boys and it has been argued that this disparity creates the potential for more injuries among young camogie players if ‘shoulders’ were allowed.
But given the amount of strength and conditioning now being done from underage squads upwards, players feel it is time to allow it and the national governing body is clearly looking at it.
Ward has gone one further, arguing “there should be no difference in any way in the rules," between the women's and men's game.
"We are well capable of playing the men’s rules just as well as they are and I think there should be more contact.”
She commented, ironically, at the launch of All-Ireland club sponsors AIB’s second episode in their new ‘Meet the Toughest’ series, whereby camogie players are wearing body-cams to underline just how physical the game is.
“It is probably a good thing to trial it just to see how it works but, if you are looking at it, you know it is going to work really,” Ward said.
“If you watch any camogie games, the levels (of physicality) are up so much. We are well capable and well able for that physicality in the game. I don’t think we should have any different rules. I think men’s and women’s rules should be the same,” the Galway star stressed.
Camogie’s current tackle rule allows players to only ‘use minimal contact on an opponent’s body from side-on’ and specifies that ‘minimal contact is described as contact made while making a reasonable attempt to gain possession of the sliotar. Contact must not be made in an aggressive or cynical manner.’ Ward argued that this is a sort of “half-contact rule” which makes it even more difficult for referees to judge it consistently, thereby only adding to player frustrations.
“Some times it is pulled, other times it isn’t. At least if the shoulder-to-shoulder is brought in it makes it clearer and I think it would be easier for refs as well,” she argued.
“I feel, and I know from talking to girls, a lot just want the same rules (as hurling). We want to be treated the exact same as the men, so why don’t we have the same rules?” Since 2021 the Camogie Association has made efforts to introduce more contact within its rules and it is significant that it is now trialling a shoulder-to-shoulder rule in the level just below senior inter-county.
The trial rule comes under the heading of ‘Rough Play and Dissent’ and states: ‘To encourage fair and physical play, shoulder-to-shoulder contact will be permitted. Players will be allowed to tackle opponents using shoulder-to-shoulder contact from a side-on position. However, aggressive or cynical contact will remain prohibited. Charging into a player, with or without the sliotar, is strictly not allowed.’ Other areas of the game being covered by the new rule trials govern sideline pucks, the introduction of a ‘mark’ from a clean catch outside the ‘45m line on your own team’s puck-out and a concussion substitution.
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