Munster Express Online

Former Waterford boss John Kiely, who is a member of the Gaelic football task force that proposed the controversial new playing rules to be trialed in the coming weeks, has pleaded with managers and players to give the experimental regulations a chance.

Hoping people won’t jump to judgment, the Kilrossanty clubman told ‘Sunday Independent’ journalist Damien Lawlor – author of ‘Working on A Dream’, his brilliant book on a year with the Déise team – that the changes should be for the better as long as they’re given a chance.

“We are trying to bring skills back into Gaelic football like the proper handpass, more accurate kick-outs and the high fielding of the ball,” he stressed. While not huge changes, they do represent “new challenges to managers who will have to coach their teams differently in some areas of the game.

“The handpass in both football and hurling, the worth of a penalty to the attacking team, the square ball, were all aspects of Gaelic football that we decided to act upon,” Kiely explained.

“We’re trying to take away the uncertainty that surrounds the handpass, trying to help teams get rewarded for attacking play by moving the penalty spot closer and we’re trying to get rid of unsightly mauls around the middle of the field. They are all worth looking at and yet there has been a lot of negativity. Would managers not give these rules a chance to settle before they make a judgement?”

Kiely and his committee colleagues opted against awarding four points for a goal, and decided not to penalise teams after more than two consecutive handpasses given the pressure that would place on referees. The fisted point is also to be allowed stand, “and we decided against removing the toe pick-up. Mick O’Dwyer said recently that there was no skill involved in the toe pick, but I actually see it as one of the great skills of the game. And taking it away would only lead to a constant danger of players clashing heads as they dive in to claim the ball.”

Kiely’s colleagues included players Anthony Rainbow and Oisín McConville; Croke Park officials Pat Daly (Tallow, Co Waterford) and Pat Doherty; former Galway manager Liam Sammon; Monaghan official Seamus Woods and referees’ reps Mick Curley and Michael McGrath.

Though “Mickey Harte and other managers have stated that there was no need to change the rules,” Kiely believes otherwise: “I don’t think we should be afraid to try new things and I don’t think they should be condemned without a trial.

“I don’t think there should be a big inquest after the first games of the McGrath or McKenna Cups either. There has been a tendency for a lot of us to react after the first game but maybe we’re better giving it time, to wait for a few games at least. The feedback from management, players and referees will be crucial but let’s hope that it’s done after a series of games.”

“People are saying the mark will slow the game down but that’s not necessarily the case. The mark could prove to be one of the great experiments of the game and could bring the excitement back to the middle of the field. 

“Certainly, a team like Derry, with four big midfielders on their books, should thrive next season. Likewise, we’ll see a lot more target men hanging around the square. Again, more excitement. All we ask is that people give the rules a chance.”