Armagh’s Oisín O’Neill says the chopping and changing of rules mid-championship is frustrating for players and managers.
It was confirmed on Tuesday that Central Council had voted overwhelmingly 38-1 in favour of removing the 50-metre penalty for a foul on a player who catches a kickout mark.
The change in rule was recommended by the Football Review Committee. The regulation, which will be operational from this weekend, has now been amended to revert to what had existed before the recent Special Congress.
The rule now reads: “If the Player is illegally challenged, a free kick shall be awarded to the player’s team from the point at which the challenge is made, and this free kick may be taken by any player on that team.”
Inside Gaelic Games: The weekly GAA newsletter from The Irish Times
Hurling previews: Tipperary bring new energy to a familiar challenge
Football previews: Dublin can override inconsistency - and Cork - to reach last eight
Dara Ó Cinnéide: ‘I’m getting sick of this #WeAreKerry stuff. What does it actually mean anymore?’
The FRC previously implemented modifications to the trial rules after round five of this year’s National League. Kieran McGeeney has questioned the need for tinkering with the rules midseason and O’Neill agrees with his manager’s position.
“I think Kieran’s biggest issue is that they constantly change. We played half the league and then they changed and now they’re talking about another change this week – there are four rounds of the championship left, like,” says O’Neill.
“I think Kieran has no issue with the rules, it’s more just that they keep continuously changing. As players, that’s frustrating because you’re working on one thing one week and then it might change. But look, whatever it is, it is and we’ll be ready for the quarter-finals in two weeks.
“We probably had to tweak a few things [after the changes in the league] that we had been working on and change certain things.”
