No way of manipulating hurling hand-pass restriction, says expert advisory group

Inside forwards will also be able to attack puck-outs before the ball pass 45m line

Limerick goalkeeper Nickie Quaid hand-passes to a teammate. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Hurlers won’t be able to circumvent the new hand-pass restriction in third level trial games by bouncing the sliotar on the ground.

Referees have been directed to punish players who hand-pass the ball having received one. 

Currently, a ground bounce starts a new possession and allows the player to catch the ball two further times. However, that tactical skill does not apply to the new rule.

If a hand-pass falls short and the receiver picks it up, it is still considered a hand-pass and must not be followed with another. Should another player intercept a hand-pass intended for a team-mate, it remains a hand-pass. A transfer of the ball from the hand after bouncing it on the hurley is also deemed a hand-pass.

The hurling expert advisory group have also explained that prohibiting arm tackles is aimed at prohibiting the practice of players being held. 

“The purpose is not to make every instance of a bent arm an automatic foul,” they write. “The focus is on whether the player is being illegally held. The emphasis should be on the nature of the contact and whether the defender is holding the player…” 

Inside forwards will also be permitted to attack a puck-out before it crosses the 45-metre line. The defending team cannot touch the restart until it has crossed that line. Under the new rule, three players from each team must be between the 20m and 45m for puck-outs.

Referees will also have to mark the 25m areas from each sideline out to the 45m line before games to ascertain where illegally denying a goal-scoring opportunity will warrant a penalty and either a yellow or red card.

The fouled player does not have to be in possession of the ball. The list of fouls has been updated to include a body collide, to deliberately pull a jersey or to deliberately prevent or restrict an opponent from moving on from playing the ball by holding up an opponent or an attempt to do so.

As for concerns that the new 65 from the defending side of the field will not be the same in every ground, the group state “a consistent method of identifying the new position must be used so that the provision is applied consistently regardless of pitch dimensions.” 

A trial practice game for the experimental hurling rules will take place in MTU in Cork on Tuesday, October 6. It comes before the rule changes are put into action in third level’s Division 1 on October 22.

On those Fitzgibbon league games, the group write: “The Fitzgibbon League trial represents an important stage in the Hurling Expert Advisory Group's evidence-led review of the game.

“The objective is to test rather than assume, measure rather than speculate, and listen before making recommendations. The trial will provide an opportunity for referees, players and coaches to experience the proposed changes in competitive games and contribute directly to the evaluation process.

“The trial is not the final decision. It is an opportunity to learn more about how the proposed changes affect the game.”