Team announcements: Motion 29 means new numbers game for counties

Croke Park

has clarified the new rule on team announcements for championship matches in light of some negative comments from certain county managers.

Motion 29 – tabled by Central Council – achieved the necessary two-thirds majority at last weekend's annual congress, and means from the start of this summer's championship, all counties will be required to submit their team of 15 players, plus 11 further panel members (26 in total) no later than 9am on the Thursday before a weekend game.

No players can be added thereafter (with the exception of a replacement goalkeeper), and counties who do not comply face fines of up to €1,000 and/or a possible sideline ban for the manager.

Black and white

“It’s part of the rules now, in black and white, like every other regulation we have, and the penalties are there,” said

Alan Milton

, GAA head of media relations. “And this is merely tidying up the rule, which was there before, that teams had to be named by the Wednesday, only this time it has to be accurate, and reflect the panel that arrives on the ground on the day of the game.”

Yet several managers have already aired some concerns, including Tyrone football manager Mickey Harte, who described the new rule was both "ridiculous" and "not really practical".

Former Down and current Fermanagh manager Pete McGrath also reckoned there “should be some wriggle room in exceptional circumstances”.

"What is equally crucial, to this new rule, is the naming of the exact 15 starting players no later than 20 minutes before the throw-in," added Milton. "We've had numerous examples recently where teams fielded players who weren't listed to start, and didn't even march in the pre-match parade. No other sport, at this level, would accept that. In some cases RTÉ were trying to establish, for the first five minutes of the game, which exact players had started. That's doesn't reflect well on anybody.