'Too soon to bring in football's new rules at club level,' says referee Paddy Russell

In his 50th year refereeing, Russell has concerns about changes.

TOO SOON FOR NEW RULES: Referee Paddy Russell, from Tipperary, is presented with his Hall of Fame Award. Pic: Barry Cregg / SPORTSFILE

For a 50th year, Paddy Russell will lace up his boots and don his whistle.

The Emly man has no intention of quitting refereeing after he brought down the curtain on his 26 years officiating inter-county football in 2008.

Twice an All-Ireland SFC final referee, he remains active on the club scene in Tipperary. “It keeps me young,” says the 67-year-old.

“It keeps me fit. I enjoy refereeing. There were good days and there were bad days but they were more good days and I still like going out and doing a game.

“I started off at juvenile at 17 and 50 years is a long time but thankfully I’m still able to do it and keep fit. I keep myself fairly alright and am still able to keep up with play. I actually did a game before Christmas, a West (Tipperary U21 B) final. You meet people and it’s a good social thing.”

But when Russell says the sport is a whole new ball game this year, he means it. From the disallowing of handpassed points to free kicks being permitted from the hand to the introduction of yellow and red cards and then the black variation, he has seen plenty but the Football Review Committee (FRC) changes feel revolutionary.

“It’s a new game as such. The kick-outs, the solo-and-go from a free straight off. There are so many that have been brought in. They are trying to improve it, they’re not trying to make the game worse and hopefully it does get better.

“We have to see more of them. What I saw in the Railway Cup as they used to call it, I couldn’t say whether the changes are going to be good or bad. That’s why I’m looking forward to seeing the league games.”

However, Russell believes the GAA have been premature in choosing to apply the FRC recommendations at club level.

“It’s fine when you have all the officials, linesmen and the fourth official. You have plenty of people there. But when you go down to club level my own reading on it that it’s going to be very hard to implement them.

“If they had tried it out for the league and championship at inter-county level just to see what way they go but I think it is too soon to bring them in at club level. There are a lot of rules and they are fine but it’s the implementation of them and what you do and don’t do. To bring them in so quick to club level it’s going to be difficult.

“If you are up in the forward line and you don’t know if there are three outfield players from each team in the other half of the field. You’ll have fellas shouting in and what are you to do?

“If you are doing a club league game, you’re not going to have (neutral) linesmen or your umpires who would able to police what happens. You just don’t have the manpower. They are wired up at inter-county level whereas that is not the case across the board at club level.”

He envisages the dissent rule, allowing referees to advance a free 50 metres for back-chat or not handing the ball to an opponent, being utilised by a lot of club referees.

“At inter-county, it’s fine, the majority of lads are not bad but in a junior B game you could be bringing the ball up a lot.”

Long-range shooters like his son, Tipperary forward Mark, will be expected to take advantage of the new two-point score.

“Mark would take his scores from out the field. Maybe it’s a good idea for players to express themselves more from distance.”

Russell just hopes the alterations reduce the amount of lateral hand-passing in the game.

“My issue with the old rules was players taking too much out of the ball. Forwards should be able to score from 20 to 30 yards out.

“If a manager and a team won an All-Ireland by two points to one, they wouldn’t mind what way it was won and that’s the way it’s gone. They had to do something to improve the game but the biggest was the handpassing back and forth.

"It wasn’t attractive. If they can stop that, the rules might work out well.”