Hurling chiefs braced for criticism as new rules rolled out

John Meyler wants the trial rules to receive as much exposure so that they can be road-tested properly.

Hurling Expert Advisory Group Chair John Meyler speaking during the Hurling Expert Advisory Group Trial Rule media briefing at Croke Park in Dublin. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

Hurling expert review group chairperson John Meyler is expecting criticism about their experimental rules as they are put into practice this week.

The changes, including the increase of steps with ball in hand from four to six, a limit on successive handpasses, the ban on tackling with the arm, and the two-point sideline cut, operated in last night’s Higher Education Division 1 game between UCD and Maynooth in Belfield. 

They will be put into action again tomorrow when there are four more round one games, including MTU Cork v UCC in Bishopstown.

Speaking at a briefing in Croke Park yesterday, Meyler said he is in negotiations with RTÉ to televise interprovincial games to be played under the new rules at the end of November.

The former Cork, Carlow, Kerry, and Wexford manager wants the trial rules to receive as much exposure so that they can be road-tested properly: “We are going to get shite after tonight or Thursday night but we’re going to get positive stuff as well.”

Inter-county referee Chris Mooney, who took charge of the game in UCD, admitted there are reservations among match officials about linesmen, or line umpires as they would otherwise be known, having more authority in games.

Under the new rules, line umpires will marshal a sideline up to the halfway point to try and ensure there are two match officials in one half of the field at the same time.

Mooney said: “If we’re stopping at the halfway line and something happens in the other corner, that’s now an implication on the referee. He needs to change the way he moves around the field to cover the bases that the linesman’s not covering as well.”

However, there is strong support among referees for the limit placed on the handpass and the increase of steps.

“You might have a red card decision once every two games, you have a steps or handpass decision probably every five, six, seven, eight, nine seconds,” Mooney pointed out.

“First of all, steps is a factual thing. So, is it four, is it six, and I know there’s a cynical opinion that it’s actually eight or 10, but is it four, is it six, it’s a factual-based thing; it’s refereeable. If the data shows it will help the game, it will help the game.

“The biggest thing with the hand-pass is the onus being now on the player. It is extremely difficult right now to catch a foul handpass with the speed that it’s being done at correctly, and it’s important to call it out, a lot of them are correct and it’s being done very fast, and then some of them are incorrect and we’re not sure, and because you’re not sure you’re not blowing it.

“I do think there is an existing rule that’s there that’s hard to implement, and this rule is going to be just as hard, potentially the other officials might be able to help us, but the speed the players are handpassing the ball at the moment, that’s where the difficulty can be for us sometimes in terms of spotting the foul.”

The hurling rules mean there will be no black card in the college fixtures. Instead, a penalty and a yellow or red card will be issued for a foul denying a goalscoring attempt for an expanded list of cynical fouls.

“We felt the sin bin was a very harsh penalty,” said national head of hurling William Maher.

Some of this week’s college games are on Clubber, while TG4 are due to show a game on October 29 on their YouTube channel. 

The hope is the interprovincials will be revived as the football games were two years ago to showcase the rules with the Dillon Quirke Foundation identified as a beneficiary from the games. 

The deadline for the committee’s final proposals is November 23.

“I do think the education piece is crucial, and getting the games out, whether it’s on Clubber or on RTÉ,” said hurling expert group member Ursula Jacob, “because people are making certain assumptions about the trial rules without seeing the games actually taking place.”

As for prohibiting arm tackles, Meyler trusts it’s a step towards cleaning up dangerous fouls.

He said: “The other day in an U17 game, a young fella was getting sick on the sideline beside me. He had got cleaned. Young fellas are in the gym from 12, 13, 14 and hitting harder and we need to really look at how we tackle.”