Little of trial rules likely to survive

Throughout this winter and spring every football weekend has been dominated by the experimental rules that were introduced by the Football Task Force consisting of some of the GAA's most respected managers and players from past and present.

It was fraught with disaster right from the start with several of the group later admitting to missing decisive meetings due to other commitments.

Under the chairmanship of Connacht Council president Tommy Moran the task force included intercounty managers Brian McEniff of Donegal and Laois's Mick O'Dwyer, players Paul Durkan of Sligo and Tyrone's Brian Dooher, Gaelic Players Association chief executive Dessie Farrell and referee Pat McEneaney. The GAA's head of games, Pat Daly, acted as secretary.

The final nail in the coffin could be swift as the first item on Saturday week's Congress clár is an Offaly motion calling for all the experimental rules to be scrapped. In fact, the only motions put to Congress that remotely mirrors what was hastily drawn up last December are for rules changes regarding the straight pick-up and use of a kicking tee.

Motion 11 from the Ballyhaunis club in Mayo hopes to introduce the pick-up, without any reference to scooping the ball up to a team-mate. The move away from the traditional lift is well supported with initial fears regarding safety allayed.

"From all the player feedback I have received it has worked well. The potential for a head injury isn't that serious," said Daly. "I think there has been one minor case in the Donegal and Mayo match when a Donegal player was injured. If it was a vote by the players it would get through but it is not. It's a skill some people do not want to see discarded."

Players certainly like the idea and so do intercounty managers such as Dublin's Paul Caffrey: "I'm for it. It's that simple. It does speed up the game. I don't agree with this collision issue, we haven't had one injury with players sliding in or whatever.

"I have young kids and particularly believe it is the way forward for underage football because it takes out a lot of the contact, in terms of kids bending over to pick up the ball. I don't think it's a huge skill lost to the game because fellas will still use the old pick-up."

Motion 15 from Allen Gaels of Leitrim is the only one to replicate an experimental rule in full. It calls for the kicking tee to become mandatory for all kick-outs but the Connacht motion, making it optional, seems more viable as it will allow goalkeepers to take short restarts that will assist continuity.

The chances of the rules getting a fair crack received a fatal blow when the GAA changed tack on the controversial sinbin while in Hong Kong for the All Star trip last January.

Referees and players had different understandings of the rule changes. Granted, highly regarded referee McEneaney was part of the task force but from the first throw-in of the O'Byrne Cup, Connacht FBD League and McGrath Cup, zero tolerance from the man in the middle denied any chance of common sense prevailing.

The switch from the 10-minute sinbin to a yellow card, which ended a player's game altogether and forced a substitute on, was met with such a level of ridicule that it has not even been supported by a motion to Congress.

Motion 49 from Cork hopes to re-establish the sinbin notion. They want a player temporarily sent to the line if he receives two yellow cards, thus nullifying this as a red-card offence, while also allowing players more latitude to commit fouls.

The suspension issue regarding yellow cards is also being addressed. At present a player is suspended for one match if he gets sent off for two yellow card offences twice over a 48-week period.

Motion 10 from Connacht calls for a player to receive a one-match ban if he receives two yellows in one game, resulting in a red card, followed up by two more yellows in separate games.

The power for a touch judge to intervene, the forcing of injured players off the field and the extra emphasis on dangerous play will not be pursued at this time.

As secretary of football and hurling task forces, Pat Daly is understandably disappointed to see the experiment stumble before Congress. Still, he saw them as a benefit to football when compared to the parallel competitions that did not use them. "If you saw this year's Sigerson Cup and the club championship they were both the poorest on record while the FBD finals in Connacht and National Football League were the finest in memory."