Tyrone manager Mickey Harte fears the GAA is losing sight of what its games are about, amid a rush to introduce changes to gaelic football’s playing rules.
Four new rules will come into effect next month, all approved at Special Congress in October.
Harte feels the influence of other sports has played a part in promoting a clamour for change.
And he is particularly concerned about the introduction of the forward mark, which he believes will have a detrimental effect on the game.
“I think we have to take stock here, and say, have we lost sight of what our game is about,” he said.
“We’re taking cards from soccer, we’re taking advantage rules from rugby, we’re taking these forward marks from Australian Rules.”
The Red Hand boss criticised what he sees as an unnecessary haste for change in recent years.
“I think we need to take care. There’s a rush for change that has become so accelerated over the past number of years.”
“We never got a chance even for a few rules to settle in before we got another one. They’re coming in handfuls.
“There was one time there were 13 things being considered that may be coming into the game or not.”
Treble All-Ireland winner Harte, who is about to embark on an 18th season as Tyrone manager, warned that the new forward mark rule will damage the art of defending.
“I think the forward mark is going to take away from quality defending, because when a forward makes the mark, the defender may as well sit down. He can’t touch him, he can’t tackle him.
“Then there’s the thing about how he declares for the mark. Does he take the ball with one hand and put up the other, or does the player stop for a second?
“We saw already in the McKenna Cup last year, when Jamie Clarke caught a ball, stopped for a while and then ran on, asked the referee what do I do here, then kicked it over the bar and got it.
“So there’s a lot of added variables that the referees don’t need.”
Also among the changes given the go-ahead at Special Congress at Pairc Ui Chaoimh were the introduction of a
two-tier championship, a sin bin, whereby a player who receives a black card will miss ten minutes of playing time, and a requirement for all kick-outs to be taken from the 20 metre line, instead of the 13 metre line.
Harte has also voiced his disquiet over the manner in which the two-tier Championship was approved.
He believes the vote should have been restricted to those counties likely to be affected by the new format.
“I don’t think people who are in Tier 1 at the minute should have had a say in that. It really should have been down to the people who are currently or likely to be in that position to make the decision.
“Who should anybody else have a say in somebody else’s outcome? I don’t think it was fair that it should have been an open vote like that,” he said.
