Radical Rule Changes Set To Be Trialled By Jim Gavin’s Football Review Group Made Public | Balls.ie

Last February it was announced that a football review group lead by former Dublin manager Jim Gavin will be tasked with analysing the current state of Gaelic football, and possibly changing the rules to make the game more entertaining.

Over the past few years there have been increasing concerns about the path that the sport has taken in terms of its tactical evolution, with things like the blanket defence and possession-based plans becoming common place.

This has lead to some matches being fairly drab affairs, and with pundits, ex players and fans expressing their anger at the state of the modern game, the GAA have intervened.

A public survey that saw over 5,000 participants take part, will be taken into consideration so those in the review group can really tackle the issues that those on the ground floor are facing.

The proposed amendments are to be experimented with in different stages throughout next year, and are not seen as ‘rule changes’ but instead ‘rule enhancements’ because the goal behind all of these suggestions is to improve the game.

Some of the more extreme proposals are focused on making the game more high scoring, and the possibility of a goal being worth four points instead of three, and two points awarded for a score that was taken from a new 40-yard arc.

According to a report conducted by The Irish Independent, here are the rules that are under consideration.

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The rules that are under consideration:

The start of games:

• One v one throw-ins with other two midfielders retreating behind their 45-metre lines
• All kick-outs taken from small rectangle
• All kick-outs from 20-metre line must go beyond a new 40-metre arc
• Kick-outs without the requirement of players being outside the 20-metre line

When in possession:

• A goalkeeper can only receive the ball in the large rectangle and only if the player playing the ball is also within the large rectangle. ’Keepers can also receive possession from a team-mate beyond their 45-metre or 65-metre line.
• Both teams must keep three players, including the ’keeper, inside their own 65-metre line
• An attacking mark to be taken inside the 20-metre line with the ball kicked from outside the 45-metre line.
• A player can play on from a mark but if no advantage accrues, the original mark will stand

The tackle:

• New definition with possibility of allowing one initial contact with an open hand

Advantage:

• Advantage won’t be restricted to five seconds but the free will be called back once it’s clear no advantage is accruing.

Dissent:

• Free moved forward 30/50-metres for any instance

Scoring:

• Two points for a ‘point’ from a new 40-metre arc
• Four points for a goal

Tactical/delaying fouls:

• 30-metre or 50-metre advancement of the ball for tactical or delaying fouling
• Facility to ‘solo and go’ from a free with a 30/50-metre advancement if the player is impeded within 13 metres.

Cynical play/Black cards

• Deliberately holding a player but not grounding him becomes an additional black-card offence
• Contributing to a melee to become a black-card offence (currently red but rarely used)
• 10-minute underage sin bin, with player replaced, for dissent

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