Proposed new Gaelic football rules to be confirmed this week but tweaks still being made

Football Review Committee member James Horan explained that the 'three up' rule has been modified while it seems the proposal to replace penalties with an overtime showdown will not go ahead. 

MUNSTER'S MAN: Cork manager John Cleary will be in charge of the Munster team in the upcoming Football Review Committee interprovincial gaes. Pic: Ray McManus/Sportsfile

Cork manager John Cleary has confirmed that managers and coaches from every Munster county will be involved on his ticket ahead of the Football Review Committee (FRC) interprovincial tournament in Croke Park later this month.

Cleary takes charge of the province while Galway’s Pádraic Joyce is over Connacht. Fermanagh manager Kieran Donnelly is Ulster manager and Leinster’s is Dessie Dolan. 

Speaking on the Irish Examiner Gaelic football podcast, Cleary said they will train together this week ahead of the televised games on October 19 and 20.

“How it came about is that Jack O’Connor is Kerry manager and they won the provincial, but he was unavailable. Jim asked me then to do it. I have Jimmy Lee, Paul Shankey, Philly Ryan and Cian O’Neill on board. Colm Collins is filling in at the moment for (managerless) Clare.

“We meet late tonight and we’ll send an email to see who is available from each county because there is a lot of people still involved in the club championship. You have to have two from each county at least, that is probably the first 12 places gone on the panel.” 

He continued: “The rules will be explained to us on Saturday morning and then maybe an hour on the pitch to go through it. You maybe won’t have all the players, there is a lot of games next weekend and there could be players who we want to bring the following weekend who are available.” 

The finalised rules will be confirmed this week. 

Speaking on the podcast, former Mayo manager and FRC member James Horan explained that the ‘three up’ rule has been modified. A halfway line will be used instead of the 65m line with a new pitch marking proposed.

He also suggested the proposal to replace penalties with an overtime showdown will not go ahead.

“I’m not sure that will be going forward. We have a seventh sandbox game on Saturday, Cavan played Kildare in a cracking game. We’d a number of experienced intercounty players on both sides, obviously new guys too. The questioning they do and their level of understanding is top notch. Really smart players pick it up quickly,” said Horan.

“The overtime showdown, it is something we tried. Some will make it through and some won’t. We will have a final review of this. It wasn’t breeze related but that is a valid concern, it was tired players, decision making and skill execution is down. So, there is too much variable in time. It went on for seven or eight minutes before the first shot. With that amount of variability and whatever, we have to take it aside and tease through it. I’d say that is under serious discussion.” 

Horan said last weekend’s trial game was received positively.

“I was talking to James Burke the coach and Daniel Flynn from Kildare as well, firstly the main thing is they really enjoyed the game. Daniel Flynn was playing at six actually. Imagine his power and pace coming onto the ball. It was interesting already managers are trying lads in different positions.

“Because kickouts have to go outside the 40-metre arch and the three-up, pressing kickouts is a whole different level. It is a longer kickout even if you have to go short and they have to keep three up so kickouts are more contested.

“Cavan kept two players at times behind the (Kildare) goalkeeper taking the kickout which you can do. Then four pressed six taking a chance. So if they won it, they could bomb it into the two guys. There was all this brilliant stuff, fellas thinking through it and trying to find an advantage. Teams that embrace them and really explore them for their benefit could really get a jump.”