Amended rule may still be rejected

The sin bin controversy: Speculation is mounting that the GAA's Central Council could reject the redesigned experimental rule regarding indiscipline.

The new penalty whereby a yellow-carded player is sent to the line for the remainder of the game and replaced by a substitute must be cleared by Central Council this weekend if it is to be used in the forthcoming National Football and Hurling Leagues.

That process begins at tomorrow evening's meeting of the GAA's Management Committee, who will then make their recommendations to Saturday's Central Council meeting.

Normally that process is a formality, but the fresh round of scepticism that followed Monday's announcement of the new rule has brought a certain amount of doubt over the exact intentions of Central Council.

What is certain is that Tommy Moran, the chairman of the football rules task force, will be pressing hard for its approval - but he admits that opinions are likely to differ.

Central Council is made up of delegates from every county, along with schools and colleges representatives, and it doesn't always accept the recommendations of Management Committee.

"Well, I'd be both surprised and disappointed if that was the case," said Moran. "I accept that it's not unprecedented for Central Council to back down on certain decisions, and they're certainly entitled and well able to make up their own mind on this one. But I see no reason why they wouldn't approve this for the league.

"Everyone accepts that there is a need to get rid of this unacceptable level of deliberate fouling. And Seán Kelly has come out very supportive of this proposal, aware that we have to take whatever steps we can to reduce that level of fouling. So it really is quite normal for Central Council to go with what Management Committee are recommending."

Ulster counties have been particularly critical of the experimental rules, questioning both the original sin bin and its replacement. The Ulster Council opted not to use the sin bin in the Dr McKenna Cup, and Ulster secretary Danny Murphy has made no secret of his concerns over any fast-tracked changes to the game.

Moran, however, remains firmly committed to the proposal, and will be making a short presentation to Central Council to clarify the new proposal, and how exactly it was drawn up. And, unlike motions that go before Congress, only a simple majority is required for approval.

"I think there is still some perception out there that some referees are going to go mad with this," added Moran, "and still use the yellow card more than they should. And I know a lot of Ulster counties have come out against it. But I'd be confident enough people will see the merits in this."

The decision to rewrite the experimental rule on discipline was in fact made last Monday week when the football task force first met to review all their proposals. At no stage, Moran said, were they tempted to throw the whole idea out the window.

"No, that was definitely out of the question. The main issue was how we could better implement the rule, because there was still unanimous support for some sort of sin bin process. And that meant coming up with the alternative that we did, which doesn't require the fourth official and is applicable at every level of the game.

"Nor were we trying to lesson the penalty in any way. We just had to figure out how it could be applied at every level, and the nearest we could get. We certainly weren't trying to water down the disciplinary measure in any way.

"And I think some people have missed the fact that the red card still remains, and players can still be sent off without being replaced for more serious fouls. There are also a significant number of fouls that will result in the straight yellow card, with no warning."

Adding weight to Moran's optimism is the fact that the briefing of referees on the new rule has already begun. Munster and Leinster met in Thurles on Tuesday night, and Ulster and Connacht will meet this evening in Cavan, so that all referees who will be used in the league will be briefed even before this weekend.

Even if Central Council approve the rule for the duration of the league, it will only come before Congress if a motion is drafted by a provincial council. As chairman of the Connacht Council, Moran could at least guarantee that would happen - provided, of course, the rule survives that long.