Gaelic Games

Kevin Walsh says new football rules will be counterproductive

Galway manager believes rules being trialled are a knee-jerk response to criticism of game

Galway manager Kevin Walsh: “A small handful of pundits are in control of how the game is perceived.” Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho

Wed Jan 2 2019 - 06:00

Galway’s Kevin Walsh has become the latest manager to hit out at the new rules on trial in the early-season football competitions.

And the former double All-Ireland winner believes the new rules are a knee-jerk response to criticism from GAA pundits about the entertainment value of Gaelic football.

“A lot of these changes are being introduced to try and improve the game as a spectacle, but I believe they will have the opposite effect.

“I think some of the proposed rule changes are being introduced because a small handful of pundits are in control of how the game is perceived.

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“They have an undue influence on how a game is perceived by the public and also how games are officiated by referees.

“It’s a sad day when the pundit’s opinions outweigh the real facts, and while they are well able to articulate their views via the media, they lack the experience to do a proper analysis of the technical and tactical side, and that needs to evolve.”

League uncertainty

Walsh, heading into his fifth season as Galway manager, told the official Galway GAA Supporters’ Club it was unacceptable that they still didn’t know if the new rules would be used in the national league, which gets under way later this month.

“It’s the uncertainty as much as anything else that we have an issue with. We don’t know what the rules are going to be as they have still to be finalised and agreed. We find ourselves in a situation where we have no clear indication what it is we need to be preparing ourselves for and that’s not an ideal situation.”

Galway’s season begins on Sunday week when they take on either Mayo or Leitrim in the FBD League, while they will open their Allianz League campaign on January 27th against Cavan in Pearse Stadium.

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