New 50m rule is 'unfair' says former Dublin defender John Small
SMALL DETAILS: Guaranteed Irish has today launched a campaign entitled 'Are You in The Guaranteed Irish Club'. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
Dublin’s seven-time All-Ireland SFC winning defender John Small says the 50-metre advancement rule is unfair and has also questioned the application of it.
The Ballymun Kickhams man accepts the premise behind the rule introduced by the Football Review Committee last season.
However, he saw the decision made against Kerry’s Mike Breen in Killarney on Sunday and disagreed with it entirely. Roscommon kicked a two-point free after Breen was harshly deemed to have not handed over the ball to his opponents.
“He didn't do anything wrong, per se,” argues Small. “I don't like the idea of the defender having to handing back the ball because he’s then caught out of position. I think it’s a little unfair.
“And now the fouled players are starting to deceive the referees and get 50m penalties, which are huge penalties. They’re getting a shot for two points.
“I think the two-point free is pretty harsh as well. The rules have been good overall, but I don’t think it’s a good one and I don’t think it’s being applied properly either.” Small suggests offending players should only be requested to leave the ball on the ground so that they have a chance to move back.
“You have to plant the ball firmly on the ground and retreat. I think that would be a lot better but handing it over? You’re giving the fouled player another advantage because he’s looking to see if he can get the ball brought up.
“Giving him the ball, another guy could be running off the back of me and he’s free to take the pass as well. It’s totally weighted in their favour and if it’s a 50-50 decision they’re you’re really being harshly punished.” Four months after announcing his inter-county retirement, Small was in Croke Park on Saturday with his son Charlie to watch his brother Paddy, Charlie’s godfather, and a relatively experimental Dublin go down to Donegal.
“I think it was a good learning exercise. I thought they got great impact off the bench. The team that finished was probably stronger than the team that started, which is good.
“I wouldn't be disappointed with losing. They probably learned a lot. The league isn’t linear. You’re going to have up-and-down periods. Some teams will be flying one week and not the next.” Small’s great friend, club and county mate and fellow procure.iework colleague Dean Rock is on board with Ger Brennan as a selector and forwards coach.
He’s not surprised Rock made the jump into inter-county management after only retiring from Dublin in early 2024. “He’s an amazing brain for football. He thinks about it very deeply.
“He's looking after the forwards in there, so I think Dublin will have a really innovative sort of idea of how they want to play. And I think he'll excel. He studied teams very deeply. He perfected his own craft, was a brilliant player as well, and he's high standards.” Rock was no slouch in the long-range kicking department and after a difficult 2025 season for Dublin scoring two-pointers he will likely be charged with improving them in that department.
“We actually took a lot of shots in the games but we missed a lot,” admits Small. “The Armagh game is one that springs to mind. We had 11 or 12 efforts and only scored three.
“So, yeah, it's an execution piece and working on that and creating opportunities. Because they are so big now, and they can turn the game very fast, and you get a bit of momentum. Those and the kick-outs are two of the most important aspects now.”
As Dublin head to Castlebar this Sunday, Small acknowledges no team inspired him more than Mayo.
“They were the best team we played by some distance. They were a physically phenomenal team with some really good players and they were the game that we definitely looked forward to playing the most.
“I thought they were just fiercely unlucky. If they were around today, they’d have won a lot of All-Irelands. They were coming up against an unbelievable team and they were an unbelievable team.”
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