FORMER Antrim footballer Kevin Madden says the introduction of the new three hand-pass rule is “asking players to be stupid” and believes it’s a “dumbing down” of Gaelic Games.
While supporting the sin bin, the sideline kick and the amended kick-out rules – to be trialled in next year’s pre-season tournaments and the National League – Madden feels the GAA’s Standing Committee on Playing Rules could be remembered for getting the hand pass rule badly wrong.
After three consecutive hand passes, teams must kick the ball.
In explaining the thrust of the controversial rule, the committee’s chairman David Hassan said: “The hand pass is almost becoming a reflex response to receiving the ball. In other words, as soon as I receive the ball I must hand pass it. The new rule will encourage people to think more seriously about how to use that form of passing.”
Madden, one of Ulster’s leading coaches, could see no redeeming features of a rule that could, he says, encourage more defensive, lateral play.
“I think it’s a dumbing down of Gaelic Games. It’s taking intelligence away from players. The sin bin is a good rule and the sideline kick is good. I can’t see any flaws at all with those.
“If you look at the All-Ireland final I think it was 74 per cent of the play was hand passes. This new rule is after three hand passes the fourth has to be kicked. So that suggests to me you can still hand pass the ball 75 per cent of the time.
“I think this new rule will lead to more kick passing going backwards and sideways rather than going more direct and teams will obviously set up more zonally and they’ll mark the space where they think is most dangerous.
“You could have a situation like Slaughtneil and Magherafelt where one team isn’t prepared to be drawn out. Now that’s obviously the extreme version of it."
He added: “It’s back to the 1970s when you just hoof it up the pitch. Now, there is no doubt it’ll make coaches think and they have to work more on movement but my initial point remains: what happens if that hand pass isn’t on? You’re asking the players to be stupid.
“So what will happen is, the player will turn and kick the ball back. The other thing that I’m not sure of is if a hand pass deliberately hits the ground; [you] deliberately pass it in a way that bounces up into a players’ hands. Are you back to zero?”
Much of the reaction on social media suggests that many observers don’t see merit in the three hand passes rule with some reciting memorable goals that were fashioned through the hands.
Madden, who guided Creggan Kickhams to this season’s senior county final and is remaining in post for a fourth year, also fears the new hand pass rule will be difficult to police at county level and almost impossible at club level.
“I think this is another extension of elitism within the association and the disconnect between club and county. I think it will be difficult to officiate at inter-county level. Realistically, it’s never going to work at club level.
“You might think it’s simple to count that – one, two, three – but when a game is going full tilt and there are a couple of hits and the referee’s thinking: ‘Was that a foul? How many hand passes was that?’”
Madden was quick to add that the game is far from perfect, especially at county level, and tabled the idea of a time limit to get a score when a team enters the opposition’s half of the field.
“The game is evolving. How much can you tamper with it to make it better? You have to give coaches and footballers credit because they are always thinking of ways to outdo the opposition.
"Coaches are asking players to play with intelligence. Sometimes that isn’t always attractive on the eye.
“I think at county level there are too many sequences of game management where one team is prepared to keep the ball and go across the pitch and pass and probe. Is this new [hand pass] rule going to help that?
"No, I don’t think so. Okay, you’re forcing the player to kick but you’re not forcing him to kick the ball forwards; they can kick it backwards. The game could actually look more ugly.
“Maybe if you had a time restriction to finish off your move to get your shot away. I think that could lead to football going back and forward.”
If the rules are a success they will be introduced at club level in 2020.
