NEWS RULE CHANGES: THE GAA rules taskforce is adamant they will not bow to the expected backlash from radicalising the sanctions referees are instructed to mete out from January 1st.
The most notable departure from traditional field sport punishment is that a yellow card now sees a player sent off and replaced by one of the allotted six substitutes.
In hurling, there will be seven ways a player can receive a yellow card, classed as "highly disruptive fouls" (see panel), up to 16 red card offences and nine black card sanctions, which effectively replaces the traditional yellow card. In football there will be 13 red, six yellow and nine black card offences.
The sin bin was trialled during the 2005 pre-season competitions only to be prematurely scrapped after an overwhelming outcry from intercounty managers. At a media briefing in Croke Park yesterday, taskforce chairman and former presidential candidate Liam O'Neill gave firm indications that this time the experiment would not be abandoned.
"Three years ago [GAA Director of Games] Pat [Daly] almost had it right, but we shirked our responsibilities that time and didn't follow through with it. We've allowed our games to become cynical," O'Neill said.
"We've allowed our players to get away with fouling. We've allowed our managers to essentially train our players to foul because it pays to foul in the present system.
"We're saying, enough of that. It is time to change and we hope our presentation will be seen at this point in time, as an effort to clean up our games.
"I don't think we should ever apologise for that. There has been far too much ambivalence to violence in sport in this country for quite some time."
Another aspect of the yellow card is a player who is sent off cannot be replaced until the next break in play.
Of the 19 red card offences shown on a DVD yesterday from the past two seasons only two led to straight dismissals. The new rules are designed to alleviate the pressure on referees when making difficult disciplinary decisions in a high pressure environment.
"I believe these rules will be a big help and take the cynicism out of the game," said GAA President Nickey Brennan.
"I won't listen to anybody talking about the notion of taking the physicality out of the game. That is not what the rules will do and it is not their intention at all. Our games are, and will remain, good physical, manly contests.
"One thing I can absolutely say is these experimental rules will be there to the end of the league. There will be no question of ditching them half-way through as we did with the sin bin I can categorically assure you.
"At the end of the day they will be put towards Congress. If they decide to go for them, good; if they decide not to go for them, that's democracy."
The main objections will come from intercounty managers and players, but the taskforce did consult former All-Ireland winning managers Joe Kernan and Michael 'Babs' Keating, while veteran Kildare midfielder Dermot Early was also involved in the process.
"In fact, Dermot Early would have wanted us to go harder," added O'Neill. "Some of the categories we had for yellow, he wanted red."
That said, the interpretation of referees and how it impacts on player frustration levels will have a significant bearing on these rules being accepted.
"The critical thing now is the level of consistency in referee's interpretation," said Daly.
"What we've tried to do is eliminate some of the diffuse, grey areas that might have been there in the past. It's red, it's yellow or it's black. It is one or the other of them.
"We can't have a situation where guys on a yellow card are getting a black card.
"I suppose it emanated from the lack of desire amongst referees to send players off for what they might regard as not terribly huge offences, but at the same time they were becoming a cancer in the game and it was paying to foul."
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