Week one went about as well as anyone could have hoped. That’s not to say that there won’t be trouble in week two or farther down the line, but it was a good start.
I was certainly happy with how it went and it is fair to say that is the consensus FRC view.
This was for the first time a whole programme of competitive matches and there were no big systems failures nor obviously unintended consequences.
One unexpected issue was the pitch marking in Omagh but that’s not a system failure, just a groundsman getting to grips with it. Marking the pitches properly is critically important in light of the significance of two-point scores but there’s no reason why it should be an ongoing difficulty.
TG4 to stream Cork v Limerick league clash on Saturday after GAA give green light
Clare and Cork to open Munster hurling championship in repeat of All-Ireland final
Seán Moran: Impact of new rules already apparent despite inevitable teething problems
Sigerson Cup: UCD and TU Dublin through to the semi-finals
I spoke to seven or eight referees afterwards and the feedback was very, very positive. The “solo and go” has speeded up the game no end. There are more scores. Discipline in dealings referees has gone to a new level. They’re far more respected – or maybe it’s simply the penalties are discouraging disrespect!
The players took to it well. As I noticed refereeing a couple of challenge matches, they are very well versed in the new rules. There may have been 49 changes agreed by special congress but in practice that means about 15 new measures to be mastered.
It is a pity that the weather was so bad at a lot of the venues because I think when this will really take off is when the ground dries out and you’ll see the ball moving.
We didn’t see much of the advanced mark over the weekend because of that weather and the slippery ball. It was still a slight surprise, as it’s a gimme of a score unless you’re catching a ball in the very far corner.
If you’re looking at the seven enhancements to football, which are actually 49 rule changes, I’d say the 3v3 was the most difficult but that’s more of a matter for the teams to get right – there didn’t appear to be many of those calls found to be wrong.
The controversy over Galway’s two-pointer for Armagh breaking the 3v3 rule was surprising. Allowing players to bring that award – the 20-metre penalty – back outside the 40m arc for a shot at a two-pointer is something that referees have been aware of.
Overall, I thought the referees refereed very well and even more encouragingly, the players played very well. As I was saying on Saturday, I hadn’t been that concerned about the obligation to hand back the ball after a free is awarded but I accept that it may take time to get into some players’ heads. They’ll learn fast, though.
In Omagh, where I went on Saturday, it happened in the Tyrone-Derry game about 15 minutes in when a Derry lad didn’t hand the ball back and the ball was brought forward 50 metres. But it didn’t happen again for the rest of the match.
I was doing some work with Thomas Niblock and Chrissy McKaigue on BBC and afterwards with Mickey Harte. There was some apprehension before the match but afterwards there was a lot more positivity.
Talking to the others, I made the point that the biggest difference is going to be at underage with the new black card coming in because in a game when a young lad, 16, shows dissent or challenges the referee’s authority, off he goes and is replaced for 10 minutes.
That’s penalising the player rather than the team. Culturally, you’re starting from a very young age, under-14 and all the way up, and in five- or six-years’ time, if these rules keep going, players will be well used to how they are expected to behave on the field.
It will be like the introduction of the helmet in hurling. Players will grow up with a specific code of behaviour and will know no different by the time they’re seniors.
Mickey Harte and Chrissy McKaigue made the valid point that at a lot of juvenile games, parents are the problem. My reply was that you have to start with the players and that eventually it will filter back to the mothers and fathers but you have to start somewhere.
There has been a lot of talk about the goalie joining attacks and creating that 12 v 11 imbalance. Does that need to be looked at? I commented on this when on the BBC. Teams are starting to defend not on the 45 but on the 40-metre arc. If the ‘keeper is going to play as a quarterback, which he is, he’s looking for somebody to make a run.
On Saturday night, Niall Morgan got the ball and slipped it over the defender’s head, Michael McKernan was in behind, bang, goal! There was space for the run because not as many players were crowding it.
The goalkeeper rule is a risk versus reward calculation. For the team that takes the risk, the reward is undoubtedly there but if the ball is turned over, the ‘keeper is in trouble because possession will transfer at 100 miles per hour up to the other end like happened in Hyde Park on Sunday when Ciaráin Murtagh scored a goal.
There will be review after review from here on in, to see how things are going. If anything needs to be tweaked, it will be tweaked. All to play for.
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to the Counter Ruck podcast for the best rugby chat and analysis
