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Irish Times
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
The GAA's sceptical relationship with time keeping is not a new phenomenon
At last November's special congress, Jim Gavin's Football Review Committee (FRC) managed to have all of its provisions accepted for implementation in the 2025 season. It was a remarkable feat of persuasion in less than a year. Neither were there any cliffhangers. In fact, the least enthusiastically received idea was that of the match clock, which attracted the support of a relatively restrained 74 per cent of delegates. Since its introduction, it has been one of the most troublesome amendments. It triggered concerns that it would prove too expensive or too complicated in the requirement that it be synced with the time displays on broadcast coverage. A countdown clock was accepted in women's football in the mid-1990s. Following its largely seamless application, it wasn't long prompting the men's game to wonder if it might it be a worthwhile adoption. READ MORE Twice the idea, having been floated at congress, came to nothing – once defeated and the next time, accepted but never introduced, again for logistical reasons, after being trialled in third-level matches. Since 2015, things have changed. The whole area of time was reviewed and in response to rising concern about gamesmanship, a new set of guidelines were issued to referees. One of the main sources of disquiet was the use of strategic substitutions to run down the clock. It was accordingly decided that 20 seconds should be added for every replacement brought on during a match. That is why there is apparently more time in the second half of matches than in the first: it's when the bulk of the substitutions are made. Other issues to come under scrutiny were goalkeepers coming up the field for free-kicks and pauses for Hawk-Eye determinations. Eventually, the FRC motions 46 and 47, providing for clock/hooter use and the hand-signal protocol for referees to stop and resume play were passed and implemented – at least in broadcast matches. [ Ciarán Murphy: Keeping cool in front of goal is key to landing All-Ireland Opens in new window ] The GAA's apparently sceptical relationship with time keeping is not a new phenomenon. It is all of 87 years since an initial attempt was made to mechanise time keeping and remove it from a referee's duties. Maurice Bogue was the inventor of the eponymous Bogue Clock, a pioneering idea to display time at GAA grounds, which would be stopped and restarted as the referee indicated. The point was to ensure that a full hour would be played in matches. Display was on a large clock face with Roman numerals – according to one report, 'like a giant stopwatch' – and it was first used in a challenge match between Louth and Mayo in May 1938 at the Gaelic Grounds in Drogheda. Later that year, it was used to keep time at a league match between Louth and Meath, which ended in a draw. Attempts to incorporate the clock into the rule book in 1939 and 1940 were not successful and although Bogue, a businessman and inventor, who lived in Drogheda, was prepared to mount exhibitions of his timepiece in various grounds across the country, the matter did not return to congress for 10 years. In 1950, delegates declined to introduce the clock but did stipulate that it should be trialled the following year and evidence of that can be seen in PD Mehigan's report of the Railway Cup semi-finals on February 19th, 1951. 'The advent of the Bogue Clock as timekeeper instead of the referee was on trial and pleased the public, who were able to follow the different stages of the game,' the report said. At congress in 1951, the idea of the clock was buried despite the range of enthusiasts for the prospect of referees being able to concentrate on officiating rather than also keeping time. A report in The Irish Times Pictorial, a weekly published between 1942-1958, reflected on the fate of the Bogue Clock at congress. 'Opinions were divided on the wisdom of having a clock at all in Croke Park. The system of leaving the referee to keep an eye on the time and on the play, while making up broken time, appears to be the popular idea,' the report said. 'In support of the system [status quo] a Cork delegate said that Cork had lost five All-Irelands by a point, in each case near time and had never questioned the referee's ability to play full time.' This may have been in solidarity with the county's Paddy O'Keeffe, who was general secretary of the GAA at the time, and who had expressed the view that discussions on the Bogue Clock might be seen as an unwelcome reflection on the association's referees.
Irish Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Armagh's Oisin O'Neill: Players 'frustrated' at continuously changing rules
Oisin O'Neill says it's "frustrating" for players that the rules of the game are still changing with less than six weeks of the season remaining. The latest alteration from Jim Gavin's Football Review Committee (FRC) comes to a new regulation they brought in themselves a few weeks ago. In the initial tweak a player that caught a kickout cleanly for a mark and elected to play on couldn't be challenged for four metres. The 50 metre penalty for contact in such a scenario proved draconian and often resulted in two point frees being scored - all based on a split second judgement by referees around the catch and the consequent play. However, the FRC have acted again and the punishment for such an offence will now be a free from where the contact occurred, a major reduction in the penalty for such a breach. This has led to fears that every time a player catches a kickout cleanly and tries to play on they will be fouled straight away. Armagh boss Kieran McGeeney was one of those to voice reservations, citing his concerns following his side's weekend defeat by Galway. 'I think Kieran's biggest issue is that they (rules) constantly change,' said Oisin O'Neill. '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. 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-final in two weeks. 'At the end of Round 5 they changed it. We probably had to tweak a few things that we had been working on and change certain things that we were trying to work on.' O'Neill, often a target for Armagh's long kickouts says the mark can work if it is officiated 'in the spirit that the rules depend on.' 'You have to allow a little bit of leeway for players to compete for the ball,' he continued. 'I think it's a reflection of how well coached they are. We were punished severely by it at the weekend and it's something that we wouldn't be happy with.'
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Chopping and changing of football rules is ‘frustrating', says Oisín O'Neill
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.' READ MORE 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.'
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Oisín O'Neill: They keep continuously changing the rules and as players, that's frustrating
A free for a foul on a player successfully claiming a kick-out mark will take place from where the infringement was made starting with this weekend's All-Ireland SFC preliminary quarter-finals and Tailteann Cup semi-finals. In an electronic vote prompted by the presentation of the Football Review Committee proposal at Central Council on Saturday, delegates voted 38 to one in favour of changing the experimental rule as it existed, which was a free brought forward 50 metres. Players fouled will have the option of taking a free from where the mark was awarded or a solo and go. That rule had caused major grievances for several inter-county managers including Kerry's Jack O'Connor and Cork's John Cleary. Counties had been utilising the option to bring the resultant free outside the 40m arc to kick two-point frees. However, Armagh manager Kieran McGeeney questioned the proposal on Saturday and Oisín O'Neill explained his manager's concern is the number of alterations to the list of experimental rules. 'I think Kieran's biggest issue with them is that they constantly change,' said the Crossmaglen Rangers man. Read More Jarlath Burns defends GAA's fixtures body in wake of Donegal criticism 'Half the league and then they changed and now they're talking about another change this week. Like, there's four rounds of championship left. 'He has no issue. It's more just that they keep continuously changing and as players, that's frustrating because your coach is 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-final in two weeks to do a massive rethink on what you're doing on some certain aspects.' At least Armagh will have that amount of time to adjust but this weekend's eight All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finalists will have half that period to respond. O'Neill recalls the previous amendments after Round 5 of the Allianz League. 'We probably had to tweak a few things that we've been working on and change certain things that we were trying to work on such as the mark. "You had to hold your hands up after going up and now you're being told you've five steps or whatever.'
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Kickout mark rule changed after central council vote
Central Council has voted overwhelming to remove the 50-metre penalty for a foul on a player who catches a kick-out mark. The 39-1 vote in favour of the Football Review Committee 's proposed change will see the amended rule in operation from this weekend's All-Ireland SFC preliminary quarter-finals and Tailteann Cup semi-finals. The 50-metre penalty had been criticised by several managers but speaking after his side's defeat to Galway last weekend, Armagh manager Kieran McGeeney expressed frustration at the possibility of mid-championship rule alterations. 'They just seem to be able to do what they want,' said McGeeney READ MORE 'Some teams tell them to do something, I'd love that direct line. Whoever has that direct line to Jim [Gavin] and Eamonn [Fitzmaurice], I would love that.'
