New hand pass rule is O'Mahony's chief worry

ANNUAL CONGRESS MOTIONS:MAYO FOOTBALL manager John O'Mahony supports the majority of the new playing laws trialled during the National Football League but is hoping the fist-pass will be confined to history at next month's annual Congress.

“It needs to be put in the bin as quickly as possible,” said the Fine Gael TD yesterday. “The fist-pass has increased confusion rather than reduced it.

“If there should be a striking action it doesn’t matter if it is a fist or a hand-pass. If the player is facing away from the referee the official cannot know what is happening. I have seen huge inconsistencies in games where the referee has pulled people up for 20 minutes and then let everything away. It definitely needs to be shot down.”

The amendment to rule 4.2 (b) states the ball can be “struck with the fist, provided there is a definite striking action.”

O’Mahony’s other concern is the move to reduce the intercounty championship panel numbers down to 26 from 30.

“The panel numbers are my major concern. We pull it down to 24 for the league and that is fine, but when it comes to championship you need your 30. I don’t think panels should be bigger. The 30 players should all be acknowledged in the programme. I think only 26 are being named.

“The message being put out there by the GAA is the other four can play club games, but there won’t be any club games on that weekend.”

O’Mahony is comfortable with every other suggestion, from the mark, which was initially criticised by several top football managers, including Dublin’s Pat Gilroy, to the new kick-out spot for wides, a penalty spot closer to goal and he supports the call for match bans to replace time period suspensions.

“In recent games Mark Ronaldson had to miss two National League games because we had a match on a Saturday night whereas other players missed just one. Match bans should be introduced to cut out any ambiguity.

“I’d have no problem with the mark to be honest. I’d be reasonably supportive of it. The square ball is another I would seek to retain. I thought initially it would confuse the issue more, but as players have got more used to it more scores are coming. I also have no issue with the 13-metre kick out. The penalty is another rule change that was needed. The 11 metres seems like the right balance.

“On time-keeping I’d be in favour of the ball out of play rule,” said O’Mahony of the Meath motion to introduce an official clock that will be started and stopped by a time-keeper at the behest of the referee. Play will continue at the end of each half until the ball goes dead.

Wexford club Clonard have a motion requesting a hooter to signify time is up. The GAA’s annual Congress takes place at the Slieve Donard Hotel, Newcastle, Co Down, from April 16th to 18th with each trial law to be voted on individually. Former Waterford football manager John Kiely was a member of the football committee that drew up the experiments for this year’s National League and he also remains hopeful the mark will receive the required two thirds majority from Congress delegates to become a permanent action in Gaelic football.

“The one I was really interested in was the mark,” said Kiely. “Players don’t seem to be going out thinking ‘I’m going to make a few marks’.

“There is still a lot of the old negative midfield play where you have a few horses and you teach them how to punch the ball.

“But then it is wonderful when you see the guy who leaps up like a salmon and brings it down and he is rewarded for it.

“In Gaelic football fielding the ball is one of the great skills. Fist-passing seems to causing the most debate.”

Other members of that committee were Séamus Woods (Chairman), Patrick Doherty (Secretary), Pat Daly (Croke Park), Michael Curley, Michael McGrath, Oisín McConville, Liam Sammon and Anthony Rainbow.