Gaelic Football rules question

OnlyWayIsUp

If a defender has the ball and an opposition player punches the ball out of his hands and the ball goes over the end line without hitting another player is it a 45 or a kickout?

The ball hit no other part of the defender on way out either. The ball was “cleanly” punched straight out of his hands.

callaway92

100% a Kickout for the defensive team

TCDStudent1

Think it should be a kickout but I’ve certainly seen 45’s given for that

Gusser09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058313775/gaelic-football-rules-question

Kickout.

Boom__Boom

The rule about punching the ball when another player is in possession is as follows

Under the category of Agressive Fouls (Yellow Card Offences) it's list the following as an offence -

"5.6 To use the fist on or around the body of an opponent for the purpose of dispossessing him of the ball"

Referees interpretation of this rule can vary quite a bit in my experience - some refs are fine with clean punches on the ball and let play go on all the time, others are far more particular about punches on the ball depending on how near the body the fist comes. I have seen some refs blow for clean punches on the ball and I have seen others who never blow. Other refs seem to take into account where/how near the fist came to the body of the player in possession.

I don't think I've ever seen a yellow card given for a "clean" punch on the ball which is just typical of the GAA approach to the rules/the state of the rule-book.

In terms of a ball being knocked out of the hands the vast majority of the time (assuming it's a clean punch and the ref lets these go) I would say the line ball would go against the puncher i.e. would be a kickout. However in reality sometimes the punch while clean on the ball will cause the ball to go off the defender (it can be a fraction of a second touch or just a millimetre touch depending on the way the contact of the punch on the ball and the way ball comes off/out of the defender's hands) in which case it would be a 45.

Like so much of the GAA rule book it's a badly written rule that leaves refs swinging in the wind.

I think most football people would be fine if the rule was changed to something that would allow for the ball to be punched but for it to be a non-yellow card offence if the player attempting it missed the ball and made light/contact to the hands/arms area and a yellow card offence if accidental heavier contact was made to the body. Have it be a red card offence if the ref reckoned it was a deliberate heavy contact to the body.

dxhound2005

It's listed as a Noting Infraction rather than a Yellow Card on a few of the online sources I found. The one below is from Donegal GAA, but it doesn't give the date. I don't know how often referees would have to deal with this, but it must be unfair to say that some of them never blow for it. That would involve long term record keeping.

As for the rule book being badly written, I couldn't come up with anything better myself. If I was a referee I would demand that I have access to camera replays to determine what is suggested in the last paragraph above. Just as those in the TV studios have, when analysing the action.

Noting Infractions

1. To hold an opponent with the hand(s).

2. To use the fist on or around the body of an opponent for the purpose of dispossessing him of the ball.

3. To charge an opponent in the back or to the front.

4. To charge an opponent:

i. Who is not in possession of the ball, or

ii. Is in the act of kicking the ball, or

iii. If both players are not moving in the direction of the ball to play it.

5. To charge an opponent for the purpose of giving an advantage to a team-mate.

Noting Infractions remain unchanged – Two Notings result in a Caution (Yellow Card) with a third resulting in an Order Off (second Yellow, followed by Red).

flasher0030

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121118449#Comment_121118449

Based on that last line in your post, its a miracle that James McCarthy made it through the All-Ireland final.