Hectic bin day in Portlaoise riles O'Dwyer

GAELIC GAMES: For the third successive weekend the use of the sin bin in Gaelic football has proven less of a trial and more of an error. It created some chaotic scenes at yesterday's O'Byrne Cup semi-final between Laois and Kildare in Portlaoise, when eight players were handed the 10-minute sentence on the sideline in a game without any major signs of indiscipline.

The GAA's football rules task force will this evening hold their first formal review of the experimental rules, which came into effect in this competition just three weeks ago. Yet the sin bin has caused such controversy that Laois manager Mick O'Dwyer - a member of the seven-man task force - admitting the whole thing was starting to backfire.

O'Dwyer saw four of his Laois players sin-binned yesterday, the same as opposing manager Pádraig Nolan. While the decisions can't be said to have swung the game, and Laois deservedly won, they certainly destroyed the flow and very essence of what was otherwise an enjoyable afternoon of football.

The sin bin is still due to feature in the upcoming national football and hurling leagues, but O'Dwyer made it quite clear he believed something had to change, because right now it just wasn't working.

"There has to be some change in the format we have at the moment," he said. "No doubt about it. Maybe referees are over-reacting a little bit. And from a manager's point of view you have to be at your wits end to get players marking players and that kind of stuff."

Nolan added to those sentiments, although he did still see some future for the sin-binning of players for certain bookable offences: "I don't think Croke Park or anyone wants to see eight players sin-binned in every game. That certainly wasn't a dirty game. But I still feel there is a place for it somewhere along the line, because there's nothing manly about late tackles and that."

For a while it seemed that Laois and Kildare might become model of sin bin advocates, but shortly before half-time the chaos really began. At one stage Laois goalkeeper Fergal Byron was sin-binned for an illegal foot-block, which also resulted in a Kildare penalty. So with Byron headed for the sideline, Laois midfielder Noel Garvan had to stand in goal for Ronan Sweeney's shot. Not surprisingly he dived the wrong way.

Early in the second half it was turned into a 13 a-side game, even though there had been no overly- aggressive fouling or even hard tackling. Laois will now meet Leinster rivals Westmeath in Sunday's final at Mullingar, and if that develops into the competitive encounter many expect then a soccer-style 11-a-side game might be played on a GAA ground sooner than expected.

The GAA, however, remain intent on adopting the sin bin in some format, viewing it as a necessary weapon against cynical, deliberate fouling.

Clearly the rules task force will have much to talk about this evening under chairman Tommy Moran.