New kickout mark penalty to apply in this weekend's inter-county senior games
The punishment has been changed from a 50m advanced free to a free on the spot where the foul occurs.
A GAA statement on Saturday confirmed the FRC had proposed the adjustment and The 42 understands it has been passed and comes into play for this weekend's inter-county senior championship games.
Kerry v Cavan, Dublin v Cork, Down v Galway and Donegal v Louth are the All-Ireland SFC preliminary quarter-finals down for decision, with defending champions Armagh, Tyrone, Monaghan and Meath waiting in the last eight.
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Kildare and Fermanagh, and Wicklow and Limerick, face off in the Tailteann Cup semi-finals.
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Irish Times
2 days ago
- Irish Times
GAA referees signal approval for Football Review Committee rule changes
In October, the GAA will meet in special congress to deliberate on the final acceptance of the Football Review Committee 's (FRC) 'enhanced' rules. When these were being accepted for trialling last November, the process became a procession as all of the FRC proposals were overwhelmingly supported. It was a measure of how desperate the association had become to remedy the acknowledged ills of the game. This summer's championship was the best in years, by consensus, greatly improved by the new provisions, which are expected to secure GAA endorsement in little more than a month. For those at the centre of the project – the administrators and referees – there is relief that it all played out so well and a certain circumspection that even after such a successful introduction, a watching brief will be necessary, as the rules move into club competitions, especially knockout, and in a few months, their second season. GAA national match officials manager Donal Smyth is positive but cautious. READ MORE 'I suppose we haven't really done a debrief yet, so we'll be bringing them in now in the next couple of weeks and will sit down and go through the season. But overall, the one rule that's been really good for us has been the 'solo and go'. 'It's the one thing that has really helped the game and helped the whole discipline side because people have no time any more to get involved in narky stuff and that kind of stuff, so it just kind of moves the game on really quickly. Which has been really positive for me. 'I'd be really interested to see how does the discipline follow through to next year. We are looking at things in a six-month period that has gone well, so it's on now, to what the second year will look like.' The solo-and-go rule has contributed greatly to better behaviour around the awarding of frees. Photograph: Inpho The solo and go provides for a free to be taken quickly within four metres of its occurrence and for the player taking it not to be challenged for another four metres. It has contributed greatly to better behaviour around the awarding of frees, which under the old rules have been flashpoints. In recent weeks, the FRC has been trialling further changes, recently covered in The Irish Times, including restrictions on back passes and hand passes, but it is not yet clear which, if any, of these will go to the special congress. [ Changing minds in the post-puke football era: Playing in the FRC sandbox Opens in new window ] From Smyth's perspective, it's time to bank the gains from the rules that have been successfully applied. 'It would be ideal if there were no additional rules and then, if something's not working, go and change it at the end of the league or whenever.' Tyrone referee Seán Hurson is one of the most experienced and highly regarded officials in the game. He took charge of two All-Ireland finals in 2022 and last year. He echoes Smyth's point that the solo and go has been transformative. 'The awarding of a free was a constant challenge. Players would race 20m to argue the award with the referee, partly to delay the play and partly to put doubt in the ref's head. That's all impossible once the ball is back in play.' Although he had been pessimistic about how the changes would work when the big interprovincial trials took place last October, experience changed Hurson's view. 'I didn't think it was going to work as well because there was no intensity in those games, there was no jeopardy. But when there is jeopardy and there is intensity, players still were disciplined.' He believes this has come about because of the collaborative approach that was taken to the formulation of the changes and their implementation. Change was broken down, sector by sector and a range of seminars, both in person and online, were organised. Seán Hurson: 'We felt as referees that we were being listened to.' It has been remarked on that all big stakeholders, players, managers, referees, and administrators enthusiastically bought into the process. 'We've seen changes in the past,' says Hurson, 'where there was no consultation with officials and then, rules were maybe not implemented the way that some people thought they should have been implemented. 'But this time, both FRC and the officials seem to be happy, based on our last meeting there a few weeks ago. They also took to heart different recommendations through the season, which was probably a direct result of some of the meetings. 'So, we felt as referees that we were being listened to, and issues that we were having were being addressed.' Jim Gavin's committee left no stone unturned in relation to consultation and getting feedback, as the trial proceeded. Hurson acknowledges that 'the referee was probably thought about through the whole enhancement [process], about how it could be made easier for the referee and ensure more respect for the referee in implementing these rules'. As a referee, he wasn't initially sure about the restriction to the team captain, on players' right of audience with a referee. Any other verbal contact would be penalised by a 50m advancement of the free. 'A big part of my refereeing 'game management' is to communicate with players, and I felt that rule would be a detriment to my style of refereeing if I wasn't able to do that any more. 'That concerned me at the start, but we sought clarification from Jim Gavin and his team. They felt that communication was still okay. We all know the difference between somebody challenging your authority and someone with a genuine query.' GAA Football Review Committee trial game, Round Towers Clondalkin vs Fingallians. Jim Gavin speaks to both sides after the match. Photograph: Inpho There are concerns that with the focus moving to club activity and county championships that the burden on referees without the comparative luxury of a six-strong crew of independent officials may struggle to implement the new rules in pressurised situations. 'Whatever the rules, there will be mistakes,' according to Smyth. 'Education has been ongoing with club referees and there have been the Give Respect, Get Respect campaign and then, the RefWell online performance psychology and mental health training programme, launched this summer.' He also reports that referee recruitment is well on target to meet last year's figure of 600. There had been concerns that with all the focus on an expanding burden of new rules, new recruits would be put off. 'The danger would have been that numbers would drop because referees were being asked to do too much but the positive coverage of the rules' effect on indiscipline has helped to counterbalance that.' According to Hurson, the game is now more enjoyable both to play and referee. In a club context, he advises any official on their own just to focus on what's in front of and not to be agonising over 4v3 breaches behind the play. 'He's the only neutral official. The 4v3 is a huge challenge, but I think from a referee's point of view, we have all the rules to implement, not just the new rules. 'Therefore, we do miss double hops, we miss touching the ground. That's just human. You're going to miss some things and if you miss a 4v3, so be it but if you miss a red card, that's more serious.' Smyth says that the success of this year's championship owes a great deal to all the stakeholders who made it work but singles out the officials, thrown into a new and little understood world last January, who kept the show on the road. 'Real kudos to the referees and the officials but also to players and managers and teams and they bought into it as well. You would have to be reticent about saying that it's all solved, but it has started well.'
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Irish Times
The All-Ireland final was no classic, but new rules meant a big improvement on 2024
The 2024 All-Ireland football final between Armagh and Galway marked a moment in history. The Orchard County won just their second Sam Maguire Cup, their first for over 20 years, but it will likely be remembered for even more significant reasons. As long as the Football Review Committee's (FRC) proposals are ratified by GAA congress later this year, then Armagh-Galway will be the final intercounty game played without the FRC's rule changes that have breathed life back into football this year. The game itself is something of a time capsule – a tense, dreary game, with all the hallmarks of a sport that needed a speedy redraft. This year's final was hardly a classic itself as Kerry blew away Donegal with an early assault that the Ulster champions never recovered from. But a deeper analysis of both of these game shows that there are major signs of improvement in the wider footballing context. For starters, there was a nearly 20 per cent reduction in handpassing in 2025 compared to the previous final. With Galway particularly intent on playing through the hands, the 2024 final saw 593 fist passes, compared to 485 in this year's edition. Highlighting hand-passing's negative impact on games, over two-thirds of those passes went either sideways or backwards in both finals. READ MORE Kerry's last play of the first half came in for some criticism from neutrals after the final this year. The Kingdom held possession for over two minutes, waiting for the hooter to sound before David Clifford blasted a two-pointer over the bar to end the opening period. Although that possession seemed to last forever because of the lack of action, Galway actually kept the ball for longer on two separate occasions in their loss to Armagh. Those long stretches of idle possession would have been high on the list of priorities for the FRC, and things largely seem to have improved this year. The average length of time that possession was held in the final fell by nearly a quarter from last year – from 45 seconds to 34 – although this was down to an increase in shooting and more direct play rather than turnovers and tackling. One huge difference between the two games was in shooting. The contrast is stark – there were 45 shots in the 2024 final, but this was eclipsed by the total of 68 shots this year, an increase of 51 per cent. There was also a massive increase in the number of scores, from 25 to 41, so in this regard, the FRC changes have absolutely added more excitement to the game. There were far more shots in the 2025 final than in the previous year's game, with Kerry in particular targeting two-pointers. Graphic: Paul Scott Kerry managed five two-pointers, targeting the extra point with 14 total attempts, whereas Donegal failed to do likewise, scoring zero from three attempts. All of these came in the second half as they were chasing the game. While other rules have certainly helped create more scoring chances, the introduction of the two-point arc has been critical in the return of long-range scores. One odd detail from the 2024 final is that Paul Conroy likely would have won Galway the All-Ireland if the arc had been established by then, with the midfielder scoring three from the required distance. However, these were the only such scores, and only three more were attempted, while there were 17 shots from 40 metres or more in the 2025 edition. There were far less long-distance shots in the 2024 final, where Galway's Paul Conroy was a clear outlier. Graphic: Paul Scott Disappointingly, there was only the slightest increase in turnovers in the tackle, up one from last year to 11. The number of blocks was doubled from two to four, as was the number of turnovers in one-on-one situations, but these are very marginal gains. Traditionalists will also have been disappointed with the amount of kickpassing in this year's final. There was slightly less kickpassing than in the 2024 final, and the number of foot passes that travelled forward more than 30 yards fell from by three to nine. Kickouts were radically altered by the new rules, with short restarts having to travel beyond the 40-metre arc. This meant that there were massive changes in kickout strategy between the two finals. In 2024, 29 total kickouts went short to a player under little or no pressure – that number fell to just five in 2025. At the other end of the spectrum, 29 kickouts went long this year, over four times more than in the Armagh-Galway final, creating entertaining scraps for possession in midfield. This was crucial, as Kerry's determination to win the breaking ball on kickouts was the platform that their victory was built on. Galway's Paul Conroy and Oisin Conaty of Armagh. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho Meanwhile, high fielding doubled from last year, with eight clean catches coming from these kickouts. Joe O'Connor, in particular, gave an exhibition of a skill we have not seen enough of in recent years. Overall, despite the 2025 final not being the most thrilling game we've seen this year, it shows that even an average game under the new rules can be an improvement on last year. While some skills of the game like kickpassing and tackling remained disappointingly minor aspects of the final, there were still significant gains in areas that add entertainment for fans, like shooting and high fielding. There are further changes that could be voted in at GAA congress, but after the best championship in years, there's plenty of reason for delegates to stick to the current rules, and not twist one more time. Regardless, it's almost guaranteed that Armagh's victory over Galway will be the final intercounty game played without some FRC changes. It's certainly a good reminder of why we needed these changes to begin with.
RTÉ News
6 days ago
- RTÉ News
Managerial merry-go-round hits double digits once again
Peter Keane's decision to step down as Clare manager on Sunday guarantees that the number of new managers that will be on the sideline for the start of the 2026 Allianz Football League has moved into double figures – a trend that has become increasingly regular. It's now the fourth season in a row that 10-plus new managers have stepped on to the beat. Monday evening saw Dermot McCabe being confirmed as new Cavan manager, an appointment that now sees Westmeath on the lookout for someone new, while Andy Moran, subject to ratification, is poised to take the reins in Mayo. There is still a question mark in Kerry, where Jack O'Connor, albeit unconvincingly, hinted that his time may be at an end after winning yet another Sam Maguire with the Kingdom. There were five new management teams in 2021, but that jumped to 10 the following season, a massive 14 in 2023, 10 in 2024 and 11.5 last year – if we include Mickey Harte's addition in Offaly to an already-in-place Declan Kelly as a half point. For next season, Derry, Dublin, Louth and Sligo have already joined Mayo and Cavan in making the change while Clare, Antrim, Roscommon and Waterford are still on the hunt, with Westmeath now added to that list. The days of long-serving managers may not be truly over – Kieran McGeeney is set to embark on a 12th season as Armagh boss – but that really feels like the exception to the rule in the modern game. Sean Boylan's 23 years in charge of Meath lives in GAA infamy while Mickey Harte chalked up 18 years as Tyrone manager, but in a sign of the new environment, the latter has now been in charge of three other counties (Louth, Derry and Offaly) in just five seasons. The 'whys' are plentiful, the most oft cited reason by departing managers tending to be "increasing work commitments" in their exit statements. That was the case for Keane in his weekend departure as he stated: "A combination of factors are influencing my decision, namely growing business demands, plus travel and time challenges." It remains unclear whether the Munster Council's decision to seed their provincial championship based on AFL positions - a call that has riled a quartet of counties - played a part in the Kerry man's call. Player power has reared its head in this off-season too while for some, like Tony McEntee at Sligo, the project just comes to a natural conclusion – although he is hoping to extend his stay in Connacht having been linked heavily with the vacant Mayo position. Leitrim manager Steven Poacher is preparing for his second season in charge out west with the Connacht outfit and, for him, the increasing stresses of the game are the root cause for most switches. "I was talking to a manager there after one of our Tailteann Cup games and he said he's never experienced pressure like it," Poacher told RTÉ Sport. "He said even the media responsibilities, we're not media trained but you have a national broadcaster sticking a microphone in your face right after a match. "There's a whole new level of scrutiny as well now with social media, every empty vessel can make a noise now. "It's a hugely, hugely pressurised situation, it really is, and I'd say a lot of it is down to that." Perhaps going against the perceived belief that struggling teams change it up more often, the turnover rate between Division 1 and 4 hasn't been as stark as some might expect. Since that double-digit run of change began in 2022, the top tier has had nine new management teams and the bottom division 10. In 2025, Division 1 will have at least three fresh faces – Dublin, Mayo and Roscommon - one in Division 2 - and currently two in Division 4. Commitment levels seem extreme no matter where you are positioned in the food chain. Speaking in the Gaelic Life recently, former Cavan boss Mattie McGleenan gave an insight into why it's becoming more a short-term stint. "The average backroom team these days is about 20 to 25 people. You have to manage two teams, you've a backroom team to coordinate, and a football team to coordinate. It's clearly a full-time operation. "The old saying goes that the pressure is a privilege, but it can only be a privilege if you actually have the time. "I'm a teacher and when I was over Cavan, I'd leave school around 4.30pm and be back around midnight – and that was on a good night." Poacher also reiterated that point, and the Down native understands why the management game at inter-county level has a shorter life-span. "People don't actually understand the actual complexity of putting together a management team as well as a playing squad, so you're actually managing two groups," he said. "Our backroom team is pretty small but we still have 15 people in it, a whole range of people, and then the players on top of that. "You're also dealing with the county board on a regular basis and a lot of it is actually managing the situation rather than coaching the team and that's where you need a really strong coaching group around you to share the load." With those pressures not going to subside any time soon, the managerial churn and burn looks unlikely to slow down.
