Controversy unlikely as GAA publish motions

News: The GAA has published the list of motions that will go before this year's annual Congress, which is set for Killarney on April 21st-22nd.

What is most notable about the 2006 motions compared to recent years is their lack of controversial or even highly debatable content, primarily explained by the absence of any potential amendments to playing rules.

Any such revision to playing rules is forbidden under the five-year grace period between further amendments, which started after last year's Congress. So, while in recent years Congress would debate as many as 70 or 80 motions, only 27 motions have made the floor this year, most of which deal with aspects of eligibility or competition structure.

Motion 1, however, could yet spark plenty of debate as it deals with the report of the Rules Book Task Force. The task force is looking to replace the current disciplinary rules in the GAA Official Guide, the details of which will be announced at Croke Park later today as part of the publication of the annual report.

It is known that the main procedural and structural changes would clarify the use of video evidence while also providing stricter mechanisms to tackle incidents absent from referees' reports. In fact, the motion referring to the new proposals has 13 sub-motions, and includes streamlining the rules on team penalties associated with forfeiture and awarding of game to opposing team, rules on club championship and league status, and also the procedure for the processing of Central Council interpretation of rules.

The full details of the motion will be published as a separate booklet for Congress containing the further interim report and recommendations of the Rule Book Task Force, and it is proposed that the motion be adopted in principle.

The task force is chaired by the former Cork County Board chairman Frank Murphy and includes Justice Hugh O'Flaherty, Micheál O'Connell, Liam Keane, Declan Hallisey and Dan McCartan.

Elsewhere, there are motions addressing overseas eligibility, higher education eligibility, and additional amendments aimed at the lower age limit for each underage grade. Motion 19-24 all address this issue, which continues to be a major talking point at club and county at underage level.

An Offaly motion, for example, calls for the eligibility for adult grade to be over 16 years of age on January 1st of the championship year. A Laois motion calls for eligibility for the under-12 grade to mean a player must be over nine years of age on January 1st and under-12 on December 31st of the championship year.

One of the more interesting motions comes from Wexford, and calls for the All-Ireland senior finals to be played in Croke Park on the second Sunday in August (hurling) and the fourth Sunday in August (football) - thus bringing the whole calendar forward by a month.

Selected Motions for Congress

Motion 1. (Rule Book Task Force). To implement the recommendations of the further report from the Rule Book Task Force.

Motion 4. a) Changes "Third Level" to "Higher Education". c) Seeks to give HE Council right to put forward motions for Congress.

Motion 5. Would allow players from top hurling counties to play intercounty hurling with a weak hurling county (maximum of five players for each designated county).

Motion 7. With regard to HE removes the extra year of eligibility after graduation. Part (b) is explained in the motion.

Motion 8. States that where a player qualifies to play in club championships outside the county with his home club and his college club that he must represent the home club.

Motion 18. Seeks to change the relegation system in the Tier One hurling championship. Rather than having two teams from each group in the play-off, the motion seeks to have the lowest team from each group in the play-off.

Motions 19-24. All of these seek amendments of one sort or another to the motion passed at last year's Congress with regard to underage.

Motion 25. Seeks to create an extra category A offence of striking off the ball and causing an injury to another player.