FORMER GAA presidential candidate Liam O'Neill has been working on revamping the association's disciplinary system for some time. On Saturday the committee O'Neill chairs will seek a two-thirds majority from national delegates to pass a new set of rules that he hopes will give referees "more courage" to make the hard decisions.
There are six fouls classified as "highly disruptive" that if accepted will result in a yellow card, which would see the player effectively sent off yet replaced by another, thus using up one of a manager's six substitutions. Thus the individual rather than the team will be punished. The obvious criticism of the proposals, while clearly aiming to stamp out cynical play, is that they may bring a more collective approach to targeting leading players as the culprit can be replaced.
The six fouls that warrant the new yellow card are: to pull down an opponent; to trip an opponent with hand(s), foot or hurley; to deliberately body collide with an opponent after he has played the ball away or for the purpose of taking him out of a movement of play; to bring an arm (or hurley) around the neck of an opponent; to wrestle with an opponent, on the ground, and away from the play; to remonstrate in an aggressive manner with a match official.
In 2005 a proposed use of a sinbin was overturned within a month with a trial period instead introduced that allowed players be replaced after a yellow card. The plan was scrapped before the National League started.
"This started out with a sinbin idea but it was disregarded because the sinbin has not proved workable in ladies football," said O'Neill. "This new system gives referees more courage, where they are not currently doing it. How many times have you seen a referee give a black card after a yellow has already been shown once he realises he would have to send off the player? This reduces the need for argument. How could people want to keep these six fouls in our games? Someone's neck is going to be broken."
O'Neill noted the primary reason for opposition to the proposals has been due to ill-informed debates at county board level. "Kildare are the only county that requested we come down and after seeing our audio visual presentation they voted in support of the proposals. There should be an onus on officials to explain rules to players and managers."
Joe Kernan and Michael "Babs" Keating were involved in drafting the new disciplinary procedures, while the only player regularly consulted was Kildare's Dermot Earley. Providing the proposed rules changes receive a two-thirds majority, when they would become permanent, a referees' training programme will immediately start next Monday.
