Tipperary All-Ireland winner Conor O’Donovan: Hurling’s integrity at stake when Congress vote on hand-pass rule

INTEGRITY AT STAKE: Conor O'Donovan during the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Semi-Final match between Tipperary and Galway at Croke Park. Pic: Ray McManus/Sportsfile

Tipperary’s two-time All-Ireland SHC winner Conor O’Donovan says hurling’s integrity will be on the line when Congress delegates vote on his motion to change the hand-pass on Saturday.

O’Donovan has campaigned since 2018 for the GAA to stamp out thrown hand-passes in the game. He is proposing that the transfer of the ball from the holding hand be prohibited.

The Nenagh Éire Óg man has outlined some of the alternatives as a pass from the non-holding hand or hand-passing from either hand after it has first been bounced on the hurley.

O’Donovan has support from a number of counties. Former inter-county referee Barry Kelly has also given his backing having been on the previous playing rules committee that recorded a 40% increase in handpasses in the past five years.

It’s the Westmeath man’s assertion that 75% of hand-passes are fouls.

In October 2023, that body commissioned freshers games to be trialled with the hand-pass restriction but O’Donovan has seen no efforts since to address what he considers an ailment of the sport.

“The issue is worse than ever. Referees are not penalising it except for the odd time and what I find strange is they’re not speaking openly enough about it.

"It’s like they’re almost happy to let the throwing of the ball continue. It’s almost as if it’s allowed and that’s serving the game no purpose whatsoever.

“The integrity of the game of hurling is what’s at stake here and that should be paramount. Not how it looks or flows because of the throwing of the ball. That’s damaging the integrity of the game.

“A fundamental rule and skill of the game is being abused or disregarded and that’s really what the issue is. I would hope that all delegates at Congress will look at the bigger picture and realise the throw has to be eliminated from hurling.

"When this rule was trialled in the freshers games in UL In 2023, it was actually a better game. It’s a no-brainer.”

As they look to make the championship panels, match officials are more likely to apply stricter interpretation of the rules during the Allianz Leagues but O’Donovan has yet to see that approach apply to the hand-pass this season.

“I don’t like singling out games because I see it everywhere but the most recent game I watched on TV was Limerick against Tipperary. As I saw it, the ball was being thrown on a widespread basis and went unpenalised by the referee.

“I spoke to a few people who were at the game and they were shouts of ‘throw’ from the crowd about the validity of the handpasses. Surely that sends out alarm bells that there is a problem here.”

In last year’s All-Ireland semi-final, Cork’s Brian Hayes had a goal disallowed in the first half as referee Thomas Walsh adjudged Alan Connolly had not hand-passed the sliotar correctly.

Slow-motion replays showed Connolly did not throw the ball but technically the pass was illegal as it was not definite.

“To me, it was a breach of Rule 4.2 (b), a foul to pass the ball without it being released from the hand and a definite striking action,” O’Donovan argues.

“You had the pundits highlighting that it wasn’t a foul but at no stage would they bring up an incident where players threw the ball and they went unpunished.”

O’Donovan is well aware there’s an attitude in hurling circles on the back of last year’s epic 2024 All-Ireland final and a series of thrilling Munster championships to leave “well enough alone” and its only football that has problems. He rails against that assumption.

“It’s very difficult to enjoy these games when you’re seeing so many throws and the rules being broken the whole time. I know I am far from being the only one. I will be presenting the Tipperary motion and asking people to vote in favour of something that will make hurling an even better game.”