Task force to propose major rule changes at Congress

The Rule Book Task Force will seek to replace the current disciplinary rules in the GAA Official Guide with a motion to next month's Congress. The major structural and procedural changes would clarify the use of video evidence and provide stricter mechanisms to tackle incidents absent from referees' reports.

A formal announcement of the proposals will be forthcoming early next week, when it is hoped two years of endeavour by the committee, set up in the infancy of Seán Kelly's presidency, will come to fruition.

The task force contains several members from the Disputes Resolution Authority, and it is hoped the new system will close off the legal loopholes that have seen several high-profile suspensions overturned this past year on appeal.

The goal is to redesign a modern, watertight rule book.

The Central Disciplinary Committee, set up after last year's Congress, is to be expanded and strengthened. A change in name is also expected.

The other disciplinary bodies formed in 2005, the Central Appeals Committee and DRA, are to remain largely intact in their present form.

This is the second phase of the Task Force, following on from last year's Congress when the GAC was split into disciplinary and fixtures sections, which saw the formation of the CDC, CAC and DRA.

The task force will continue into the Nickey Brennan presidency and, if their motion is passed at Congress, members will train officials around the country to implement the new rules.

The fall-out from the national league fixture between Tyrone and Dublin in Omagh on February 5th is not directly related to any decisions reached by the task force, though it does highlight the need for new disciplinary structures.

The task force is chaired by the former Cork county board chairman Frank Murphy and includes Justice Hugh O'Flaherty, Micheál O'Connell, Liam Keane, Declan Hallisey and Dan McCartan.

One thing not being changed is the status of onfield decisions by referees. If a yellow card is shown, as happened with Tyrone's Ryan McMenamin in last year's Ulster final, no further disciplinary action can be taken - regardless of video evidence.

In a related matter, CDC chairman Con Hogan asked the Referees Committee last Tuesday night to wait until after Congress to discuss possible responses to scenarios such as the Omagh melees.

A "third man in" rule, similar to that used in Australian Rules, is expected to be included in the Task Force motion to Congress.

"Con Hogan came in and spoke about the difficulties on the disciplinary procedures and said it didn't reflect on referees," said referees' supremo Fr Séamus Gardiner. "Seemingly, there is going to be a proposal to Congress with new rules on how to handle a melee. . . We didn't discuss it last night; instead we said we would wait to see what happens at Congress.

"He (Hogan) also explained the importance of technicalities. You have to be very careful about writing reports and when they are dealing with it they have to be careful of legal issues.

"He also said the people who studied the video of the Omagh incidents had great praise for Paddy Russell (the Tipperary referee involved). What we keep saying to referees is report what you see and leave the rest up to the disciplinary committee."

Meanwhile, last night's CDC meeting dealt with Meath referee Cormac Reilly's report from the national league match between Monaghan and Kerry in Scotstown on March 12th, when an umpire was injured.

The meeting also confirmed Armagh full back Francie Bellew must serve a four-week suspension arising from the red card he received after a clash with Derry's Eoin Bradley last Sunday. There was confusion over whether it was a straight red card as Tyrone referee Mickey Hughes showed Bellew his first yellow card of the game before sending him off.

The referee has since admitted the error and the Armagh county board confirmed Bellew will serve the suspension.