If some things in coaching or player behaviour acts to dis-improve their game the NFL in USA governing American football change rules regularly to address the situation and nip problems in the bud.

I believe GAA should also set up an effective framework to do the same.

Looking at football I believe the black card has failed; drop it (inconsistent and causes more aggro than it stops reclassify key offences as red). The mark in football has succeeded; keep it.

But move faster and more coherently to change and nip things in the bud. It can be done without altering the essential character of the game.

Two examples that might be worth thinking about now are 1) the role of short kick outs in football 2) taking too long over frees and kickouts.

About short kickouts; they are too easy in my view, generally give the kicking out team too much advantage (but also look awful when they fail) and reduce the benefits of the mark in encouraging strong competition for possession (I think the mark is great). Also goalkeeper kicking is getting longer and longer. So for all senior (ie. not age limited) games, club and county, take kickouts from hand or off the ground with a tee (if you can find one) within the small rectangle but the ball is not playable until it crosses the 20 metre line. If the ball doesn't travel over the 20 metre line or is taken inside that line by the kicking out team throw up the ball on the penalty spot. if taken by the non kickout team ; kick out again. More speed more excitement more playing time, less easy wandering up the pitch from the wings.

It is a foul to waste time over a free, sideline or kick-out but the time allowed is not specified . I believe it should be. I suggest 10 seconds max. after a ref gives final go ahead for a sideline (I state final cos if some one throws something the ref might wish to rescind the go ahead to take time to book any such offender and move the ball up of course he/she could book the thrower later if the linesman or umpire brings that offence to ref's attention).

(For [part] reference see existing Rules 4.19 and 4.20 below)

Similarly I suggest 30 seconds max. for kick-out or free (otherwise existing rules to continue to apply). It is easy at this point in time to refer to Dean Rock (there are plenty as slow and worse) but he did take nearly two minutes over that last free, from the time it was awarded admittedly. The ref has discretion of course to allow kicks be reset and retaken to deal with a situation where your teammates are being obstructed or held prior to the kick or any other foul play. Any time wasted would of course be added on to the playing time at the ref's discretion, as happened in the final this year.

4.19 To interfere with a player taking a free kick
or sideline kick by jumping up and down,
waving hands, or any other physical or verbal
interference considered by the referee to be
aimed at distracting the player taking the kick.
Exception
A player holding his hands upright shall not
constitute an interference.
PENALTY - FOR THE ABOVE FOULS - Free
kick 13m more advantageous than the
place of original kick - up to opponents'
13m line.
4.20 For an opposing player to be less than 13m
from the ball before a kick-out.
PENALTY - Free kick 13m more
advantageous than place of original kickout

cjx (Tyrone) - Posts: 270 - 27/09/2017 20:43:21    2051152

If some things in coaching or player behaviour acts to dis-improve their game the NFL in USA governing American football change rules regularly to address the situation and nip problems in the bud.

(Tyrone) - Posts:248 - 27/09/2017 20:43:21 2051152


What rules have been changed in NFL over the last few years and what problems nipped in the bud?

Cockney_Cat (UK) - Posts: 2445 - 27/09/2017 22:24:41    2051181

http://operations.nfl.com/the-rules/2017-rules-changes-and-points-of-emphasis/

cjx (Tyrone) - Posts: 270 - 28/09/2017 00:04:58    2051213

alano12 (Dublin) - Posts: 2208 - 28/09/2017 03:32:09    2051219

1. All kickouts should have to travel over the 20 metre line.

2. Player should be allowed to pick the ball up from the ground. The reason? The current rule is not a skill. And before idiots start bleating about how it will be the death of the chip off the ground. 2 things; It won't because chipping the ball up is still quicker than bending down to pick it up and how chip up's did you see in the championship? I saw one.

FootblockREF (Monaghan) - Posts: 563 - 28/09/2017 08:39:35    2051230

On last one. All scores to be followed by a kickout from the 20, all wides to be followed by a kickout from the 13. This is for the Junior B games with Junior B level referees, no umpires and no scoreboard. Spectators need to know if a shot was a score or not and this would help them.

FootblockREF (Monaghan) - Posts: 563 - 28/09/2017 08:42:23    2051231

1. All kickouts should have to travel over the 20 metre line.

2. Player should be allowed to pick the ball up from the ground. The reason? The current rule is not a skill. And before idiots start bleating about how it will be the death of the chip off the ground. 2 things; It won't because chipping the ball up is still quicker than bending down to pick it up and how chip up's did you see in the championship? I saw one.

FootblockREF (Monaghan) - Posts:72 - 28/09/2017 08:39:35

There was at least one in almost every single game in the championship I'd wager.

If picking the ball up correctly from the ground isn't a skill why does it take people learning the game quite awhile to master when they're young. Being able to pick up the ball correctly whilst keeping your deceleration to a minimum is a skill in itself.

Picking the ball directly off the ground is definitely far less of a skill in anyways.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13704 - 28/09/2017 10:09:18    2051254

Isnt the 20 meter rule change on kick outs going before Congress in the next couple of weeks.

TheUsername (Dublin) - Posts: 4445 - 28/09/2017 10:21:38    2051259

I'd like them to look at stopping teams from slowing down the kick out.

I've also mentioned how I'd replace the black card by automatically bringing cynical fouls forward 14m and if they're in the 21 and D that they be penalties. I think that's a more suitable consistent punishment for those fouls along with a yellow card.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4201 - 28/09/2017 10:38:49    2051266

just for debate here's the AFL 50 metre rule mentioned in media by several people last couple of weeks (especially important mebbe in last 5min and extra time)

18. FIFTY-METRE PENALTY
18.1 WHEN IMPOSED

Where a field Umpire has awarded a Free Kick or a Mark to a Player, the field Umpire shall also award a Fifty-Metre Penalty in favour of that Player if the field Umpire is of the opinion that any Player or Official from the opposing side:
(a) has encroached the mark;
(b) engages in Time Wasting;
(c) uses abusive, insulting, threatening or obscene language towards an Umpire;
(d) behaves in an abusive, insulting, threatening or obscene manner towards an Umpire or disputes the decision of an Umpire;
(e) enters the Protected Area, except when the Player is accompanying or following within 5 metres of their opponent;
(f) has not returned the football directly and on the full to the Player awarded the Free Kick or Mark;
(g) engages in any other conduct for which a Free Kick would ordinarily be awarded, in accordance with 16.7 (b);
(h) when not in the immediate contest, holds a Player after that Player has Marked the football or who has been awarded a Free Kick; or
(i) a Player in the contest who unreasonably holds a Player after that Player has Marked the football or who has been awarded a Free Kick.
18.2 IMPOSING A FIFTY-METRE PENALTY

When the field Umpire imposes a Fifty-Metre Penalty, the following procedure shall apply:
(a) the field Umpire shall signal to the Timekeeper to stop the clock used for the timing of the Match for such time as it takes to impose the Fifty-Metre Penalty;
(b) the field Umpire shall advance the mark by 50 metres in a direct line with the centre of the Goal Line; and
(c) if the Player who is obtaining the benefit of the Fifty-Metre Penalty is less than 50 metres from the Goal Line, the mark shall become the centre of the Goal Line.
18.3 LOCAL CONDITIONS

A Controlling Body may reduce the distance of a Fifty-Metre Penalty to 25 metres for the Matches played in the competition conducted by the Controlling Body.

cjx (Tyrone) - Posts: 270 - 28/09/2017 21:49:30    2051497

In the past some refs used to use the 3 tick rule, pulling and dragging once was a tick, next incident yellow card then after that red, the black card is a mess, a simple wording can change this, use the word 'professional'. If a professional foul happens (a cynical foul) inside the 20m line it's a straight red, outside the 20m line it's a yellow. What is a professional (cynical) foul? Dragging down a player, tripping a player either by your foot or hand, deliberately pushing or shoving a player etc inside the 20m line should all receive a straight red. Also this caper of pushing or shoving an opponent after scoring is a professional foul and should receive yellow card

riverboys (Mayo) - Posts: 1389 - 28/09/2017 22:41:57    2051519

I would give 20m frees straight in front of the posts for cynical fouls instead of black cards. The definition of cynical fouls would need to be looked at again but it would have to include off the ball pulling and dragging which is reducing the effectiveness of skilful players. For this to work umpires and linesmen would need to be much more active. Where a clear goal chance was prevented due to a foul it should be a penalty kick.

The only effective deterrent I think to the extreme level of cynicism is the concession of a certain score. A black card with 5 minutes to go is not an effective punishment.

Germon (Roscommon) - Posts: 1 - 28/09/2017 23:35:19    2051538