Earlier this year, when Jarlath Burns assumed the role of GAA president, his initial moves included forming the Football Review Committee (FRC), headed by Dublin manager, Jim Gavin, who grossed six All-Ireland victories. The committee, comprising of football intellectuals from across the nation such as Éamonn Fitzmaurice (Kerry), James Horan (Mayo), Michael Murphy (Donegal) and Colm Collins (Clare), has the task of halting the decline in Gaelic football. According to the FRC’s interim document, the aim is to devise a fresh plan for Gaelic football by spotting possible enhancements in rules, such that they honour traditional game values while incorporating contemporary innovations, tuning the playing and viewing experience into a much more thrilling one.
Post the release of their interim report last Thursday, the committee is now preparing to demonstrate their findings through the medium of an interprovincial series. Four teams, each representing a province and comprising of intercounty players trained by Pádraic Joyce (Connacht), John Cleary (Munster), Dessie Dolan (Leinster) and Kieran Donnelly (Ulster), are gearing up to take part in a revival of the Railway Cup, thereby showcasing the proposed rule reforms by FRC, particularly the ‘7 Core Enhancements’.
The interprovincial series will take place at Croke Park, extending over Friday and Saturday. The kick-off match will see Leinster compete against Connacht, scheduled at 6pm on Friday, succeeded by a game between Munster and Ulster at 8pm. The finalists from these games will battle for the Railway Cup on Saturday’s evening match, slotted at 7.30pm, whilst the teams securing the third and fourth position will encounter each other earlier on the same day at 5.30pm.
Live broadcasting of the upcoming Friday’s two matches will be available on the TG4 channel. Furthermore, Saturday’s early game will get coverage on the RTÉ news channel, whereas the final will be broadcast live on RTÉ 2. Tickets, allowing access to all four matches, are priced at €15 and can still be procured from Ticketmaster.
The ‘7 Core Enhancements’ include:
The ‘1v1 Throw-in’: In this, only one player from the competing teams will be involved in the throw-ins at the commencement of each half. The remaining two midfielders from each team will position themselves on the defensive half of the halfway line on opposing sidelines.
‘Kick-out Distance’: All kick-outs will proceed from the 20-metre mark and have to cross a newly-formed 40-metre arc. Team members are permitted to be inside the 40-metre arc so as to expedite kick-outs. However, these players must maintain a minimum distance of 13 metres from the ball. Incurring a penalty involving a free kick for the rival team, a teammate on the goalkeeper’s team cannot interact with the ball within the 40-metre arc when the ball is being kicked out. If an opposition player intercepts the ball within the 40-metre arc during the kick-out, it is considered fair game. Should there be any interference from the opposition during the kick-out, the ball will be advanced 50 metres for a free kick against them.
‘Back Passing to the Goalkeeper’: If both players are within the larger (13-metre) rectangle in front of the goal or if the goalkeeper has moved up the field past the halfway line, the players are permitted to pass back to him.
’40m Scoring’: Any points earned from outside the newly-introduced 40-metre arc (and where it intersects the 20-metre line) or a 45, will be valued at two points. One-point will still be the value for points scored inside the 20-metre mark/40-metre arc. However, goals will now be worth four points, and points scored from frees that have been moved forward due to new dissent/tactical foul rules will also receive a two-point value. A new red flag will denote two-point scores. The referee will raise a single arm for a one-point score and both arms for a two-point score.
The ‘Three-Player Rule’ is another enhancement.
The game rules stipulate that a team is required to have a minimum of three outfield players positioned in both halves of the field constantly. Given this rule, the maximum number of outfield players a team can position in their defending or attacking half at any instant is eleven. The goalkeeper is not affected by this rule. Depending on how a player crosses the halfway line, a variety of penalties can be instigated. These may range from a hop-ball, a free kick on the halfway line, or a 20-metre free kick.
The Solo-and-go Rule
A fouled player has the option to continue playing the ball instead of taking a pause to take a free kick. He may do this without having to wait for the referee’s instruction. However, the player must engage the solo-and-go as soon as the free kick has been called. Upon opting for the solo-and-go, the player is given an allowance of four metres, either forward or sideways, where he cannot be challenged. However, the solo-and-go option is not available for free kicks called within the opposing team’s 20-metre line.
Advanced Marking Rule
In instances where a kick-pass from outside the 45-metre line is cleanly caught within the 20-metre line, a mark is drawn. The player who made the catch can acknowledge this by lifting their hand. Alternatively, the player can choose to continue playing with this gained advantage, the mark. If no advantage is gained, the game reverts to a free kick from the point where the ball was caught.
Team Squads
CONNACHT
The names listed below belong to representatives from various regions including Galway, Roscommon, Mayo, Leitrim, Sligo, London and New York. Connor Gleeson, Johnny McGrath, Seán Mulkerrin, Cillian McDaid, and John Daly hail from Galway. Brian Stack, Enda Smith, Diarmuid Murtagh, Daire Cregg, Conor Carroll, Ruaidhrí Fallon, Ultan Harney, Conor Cox, Donie Smith, and Ciarán Murtagh are from Roscommon. Eoghan McLoughlin, Jack Carney, Bob Touhy, Aidan O’Shea, and Diarmuid Duffy represent Mayo. From Leitrim, there’s Mark Diffley and Barry McNulty. Johnny Heaney represents Galway. Shane Brosnan is from New York. Representing Sligo is Pat Spillane with Aidan McLoughlin and Liam Gallagher hailing from London.
The standby players include: Paul Towey and Keith Byrne from Mayo and Leitrim respectively; Shay Rafter, Daire Rooney from London; Eddie McGinness, Cian Lally from Sligo; and, Joey Grace from New York.
The team is set for LEINSTER.
The following is an enumeration of UK footballers, highlighting their respective regional affiliations:
From Dublin, we have players such as Stephen Cluxton, Seán Bugler, Brian Howard, Ciarán Kilkenny, Eoin Murchan, as well as both Paddy Small and John Small. Further representation from Leinster includes Michael Bambrick and Ross Dunphy from Carlow, Mark Barry and Killian Roche of Laois, Louth’s Ciarán Byrne, Ciarán Downey, and Craig Lennon, alongside Darren Gallagher of Longford. Westmeath’s Ray Connellan and Ronan Wallace are also included, along with Peter Cunningham of Offaly, and Kildare’s Kevin Feely, Daniel Flynn, and Ryan Houlihan. Rounding out the group are Dean Healy and Kevin Quinn from Wicklow, as well as Eoin Porter of Wexford.
Turning to the region of Munster, we find a number of players including Limerick’s Josh Ryan, Danny Neville and both Seán O’Dea and James Naughton. Kerry contributes Damien Bourke, Tadhg Morley, Diarmuid O’Connor and Donal O’Sullivan, as well as Killian Spillane. We see representation from Tipperary through Darragh Brennan, Jimmy Feehan and Mark Stokes, while Clare’s players include Eoin Cleary, Aran Griffin, Emmet McMahon, Brian McNamara, and Alan Sweeney. The Cork team features Darragh Cashman, Seán Meehan, Colm O’Callaghan, Chris Kelly, Chris Óg Jones, Maurice Shanley, Matty Taylor, and the two Walshes – Tommy and Paul. Finally, from Waterford, we have the likes of Conor O’Currin, Dermot Ryan, Caoimhín Walsh, and Seán Walsh.
Last but not least, from the Ulster region.
The list features Niall Morgan, Mark Bradley, Aidan Clarke from Tyrone. From Derry, we have Diarmuid Baker and Eoin McEvoy, while Armagh contributes Paddy Burns, Oisín Conaty, Aidan Forker, Niall Grimley, Joe McElroy, Peter McGrane and Ross McQuillan to the roster. Cavan has representatives in Pádraig Faulkner and Gerry Smith. Not to be left out, Down gives us Daniel Guinness, Pat Havern and Odhrán Murdock, Antrim sends in Marc Jordan, Tyrone’s roster includes Conn Kilpatrick, Darren McCurry, and Eoin McElholm. Monaghan has one entrant Barry McBennett. Fermanagh offers Ronan McCaffrey and Séan McNally. Donegal is represented by Daire Ó Baoill and Ciarán Thompson. Finally, Niall Toner from Derry also made the cut.
The standby list includes Frank Burns from Tyrone, Mick Byrne and Joe Finnegan from Antrim, Jason irwin from Monaghan, Jason McLoughlin hailing from Cavan, and Fermanagh’s Fionan O’Brien.