Blurred lines: increase visibility of pitch markings, says Rock

The Dublin icon has witnessed instances of four players back/three up infringements and contested two-point scores in club championship games.

BETWEEN THE LINES: Croke Park pitch manager Stuart Wilson, right, and lead groundsman Darren Jepson tend to grass in the 40 metre scoring arc. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Dublin great Barney Rock says the width of the paint marking the halfway and 40-metre arc lines should be increased to help avoid further controversies.

Rock has seen several instances of four players back/three up infringements and contested two-point scores in club championship games.

In Sunday’s Derry SFC semi-final defeat to Newbridge in Owenbeg, Slaughtneil’s Shane McGuigan felt he had scored a late two-pointer but it was awarded as a one-point effort by referee Seamus McErleane. Conor Doherty then converted a two-point free to win the game for Newbridge by a point.

It is the latest in a number of issues around two-point scores following incidents in Fermanagh, Mayo and Offaly and Rock believes it and the halfway line, which is a dashed whitewash, have to be more pronounced.

“People will say, ‘Ah, fellas are meant to know what they can and cannot do around these lines’ but the visibility of them especially in club games can be so poor. The halfway line shouldn’t be broken and it should be much more obvious as well as the 40m arc. That way, fellas will have more awareness about crossing the halfway line or kicking the two-pointer on or before the 40m arc.” 

The obscurity of the halfway line, introduced by the Football Review Committee for the purposes of enforcing the four back, three up rule, is a real bugbear for Rock. Penalty for breaching the rule intentionally so as to carry, receive or intercept the ball, is a free from the 20m line with the option of bringing it outside to the 40m arc for a two-point chance.

“It’s not clear enough for players to see the halfway. They’re listening to calls from team-mates and sometimes in the heat of battle they run through the line and all of a sudden they’re giving away points.

“We saw it over the weekend in Antrim (Dunloy v Cargin’s county SFC final) where the fella ran a yard passed it and thankfully it was correctly not blown for a free because the player stopped and just walked back across the line. Sometimes, the player can’t see the line and he absentmindedly crosses it.

“The broken line is very hard to notice. It should be continuous and widened to twice the size because while it might not be a problem in county games, it’s happening a lot in club ones.” 

Rock also wants to see referees awarding kick-out marks without the receivers having to call for the free with a hand signal. Winning clean possession in the air should be enough, says the 1983 All-Ireland winner.

“If a fella goes up in midfield and catches the ball when he comes down he shouldn't have to try and put his hand in the air. They’re coming down and they can't get their hands in the air because it's impossible to do.

“It happened to James McCarthy in a Ballymun Kickhams game this year. James was up and caught a ball, a great ball, and he was coming down and the thing is the fellas all gather around him and knocked the ball out of his hand. He hadn't anywhere to put his hand up there to call a mark. The thing is, he got the ball and ended up getting the score.”