Why the GAA tweaked kick-out proposal
Concerns about underage goalkeepers not being able to kick the ball past the 45m line convinced Central Council to make a second change to the experimental rule.
The original proposal, one of five to be trialled in the pre-season competitions and Allianz Leagues, had called for all kick-outs to reach or pass the 45m line and for only two players from each team to be within the 45m lines for the restart.
After feedback from players and managers, it was amended so that there would be no zonal prohibition and all kick-outs would be taken from the 20m and have to reach or pass the 45m. However, Central Council on Saturday chose to alter it once more so that the kick need not reach the 45 but only travel the required minimum distance of 13m.
There was broad consensus among delegates that the kick-out was a skill in its own right and might be negatively affected by the 45m rule.
However, fears on how it might impact on underage and junior goalkeepers prompted Ard Chomhairle to make the change.
The other four rules changes as revealed earlier this month — 10-minute sin bin for a black card, the mark inside the 45m, the forward sideline kick, and the limit of three consecutive hand-passes — will be put into operation as well in the pre-season and National League competitions.
The GAA will wait until January before deciding what tiered format for the All-Ireland senior football championship they will propose to Congress.
After receiving “broad support” for a second tier, including the backing of the GPA, there will be further discussions as there were tentative opinions given about the two options currently on the table.
Both involve Division 3 and 4 teams competing in the new competition either after their pre-provincial final exits or their defeats in the qualifiers.
The Central Council will ask Congress to change the scheduling of the Super 8 so that the provincial champions have their home game in round one instead of round three. The Croke Park matches will be played in round two. The Munster and Ulster winners will form half of group one and the Leinster and Connacht champions participating in the other.
Roscommon’s motion for the Central Competitions Control Committee to take a “blank canvas” approach to compiling the masters fixtures list was defeated, although GAA president John Horan asked the county to provide their own recommendations in regards to putting it together.
The GAA intends overseeing its own fixtures review beginning early next summer. A Club Players Association representative has been invited to take part.
Central Council will consider a motion backed by the likes of Kerry that would allow players to be eligible for their U20 All-Ireland football championship as soon as their senior team has exited the All-Ireland senior competition.
A new structure to the U20 All-Ireland football season is also to be trialled as the GAA looks at pre-championship development leagues.
In a bid to provide more room for development, Central Council also backed a motion to change the format of the Allianz Hurling League from 2020, reverting to two equal groups of six in Division 1, as was the case in 2008.
The first sextet will comprise the table toppers in next year’s Division 1A, the fourth-placed team in Division 1A, the winners of the Division 1A relegation play-off, the second- and third-placed sides in Division 1B and the county promoted from Division 2A to 1B.
The other group will be made up of the second- and third-placed teams in the 2019 Division 1A, the losers of the Division 1 relegation play-off, and the teams that finished first, fourth, and fifth in Division 1B.
The table-toppers in each group will qualify for separate semi-finals where they will be joined by the winners of the two quarter-finals, which will see the second-placed team in group one face the third finishers in group two and vice versa.
The new relegation play-off will involve the bottom team in each group with the losers being replaced in the top flight the following season by the Division 2A winners. It is proposed the groups will run on a two-year cycle before they are redrawn in 2022.
Central Council will also hope for Congress to back their motion to make the Joe McDonagh Cup and All-Ireland quarter-finals “winner on the day” games.
They are also planning for such matches, which also include All-Ireland football qualifiers, to be decided by penalties rather than frees after an additional two periods of extra-time.
It has also been recommended that All-Ireland minor finals and semi-finals remain curtain-raisers to the senior equivalents.
