Why wont die hard GAA fans admit football these days is muck?

Kildare had 12 scores and 10 wides against Louth. Monaghan had 3 scores, all place balls, and 8 wides in the second half, against Galway. Kildare, Monaghan and Meath all lost. But that is not the important thing. They provided old style entertainment by taking pot shots.

Above comment is correct

100% the point that very rarely gets mentioned here are the balls (in Football) and Sliotars

Sliotars now are an absoulte joke. They're as light as feathers and have a serious bounces in them

Footballs similar - so, so much lighter now

Sliotars have to conform to standards. None of them are as light as a feather. The bounce would depend on the condition of the field.

https://www.gaa.ie/news/16-sliotar-suppliers-now-compliant-with-official-gaa-specifications/#:~:text=The%20mass%20of%20the%20Sliotar%20shall%20be%20between%20110%20and%20116%20grams.&text=The%20rim%20(rib)%20width%20shall,and%202.7mm.

I would have liked to make that comparison, but I couldn't find the information online, although I didn't waste much time looking. What where the differences in the past, and when did they change most recently?

Rim thickness, weight are the big two

It’s moreso O’Neills that push the changes rather than GAA. Allows them to ‘update’ them

There’s no agreeing to disagree on it!!! It’s literal!

Ah stop the footballs are exactly the same as they always were.

Have you ever tried to play football with a soccer ball? Any breeze at all and the flight of the ball is seriously affected.

Making footballs lighter would make it actually more difficult to score.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/othersport/arid-30950712.html

Good to know that we all weren't imagining things about the footballs being the same as they always were unlike Callaway92

Neither have sliotars changed.

Trying to Swing the thread back to topic….the hand pass…let’s concentrate on that one issue.

Is it time in football to limit its use.

Thats a fairly broad canvas?

I wouldn't ban keepers from going upfield at all. Why are people so against it?

It adds a bit of chaos and unpredictability to the game and therefore excitement.

Maybe limit that all hand-passes have to go forward. Would be easy to implement which I think any rule change needs to be.

I'd agree that fisted points should be scraped to the bin.

The crowds are well up for the 2023 League, according to newspaper reports. But in some counties like Limerick, the locals won't support the team in big numbers, even when they are in Division 2.

Relegation-threatened Limerick and promotion hopefuls Meath played out a dramatic draw in Division 2 in front of 1,039 fans at TUS Gaelic Grounds on Sunday afternoon.

My views on how to improve the game:

Mark can only be claimed from placed ball - kickout, sideline - I'd be inclined to exclude frees but I could live with them (they may have corrected that, if not, they should).

Improved support for the officials. Umpires should be able to draw refs attention to off the ball stuff without having to be asked. Ideally a second ref but given the inconsistency of application of rules between one ref and the next, this presents its own challenges.

Abuse of refs should result in a ban. Clubs and County boards need to take a lead on this and demonstrate they are willing to police this themselves too.

I don't think adding rules helps - the refs job is next to impossible - I'll have said before you have a lad usually in his forties chasing 30 lads the majority of whom are under 30 and he's expected to see everything and get every decision right.

Stop Fannying around with the Championship structure. Every few years there's a new format. The super 8's was the biggest load of crap when you review it. You start in a knockout competition, and if you win your games you go into a league format. If you were knocked out of the first knockout competition, you dropped into a secondary knockout competition to get a chance to play in the league format with the winners of the original knockout competition. You play 3 games, some of which are dead rubbers, and if successful, you enter another final knockout competition. Sweet suffering Jesus.

You have a ridiculous scenario where arguably the most evenly contested competition (National League) is reduced to a secondary arrangement and potentially have finalists lining out against each other the following week in the championship. How is anyone expected to take that competition seriously when it's resigned to being a fixture complication for teams in the championship?.

They don't, and in the old days, their views might not have even been taken into consideration. But with the GPA now being a force, they have a clear say in what changes can happen. (I think the below is from 2019?). They are in favour of two referees, but getting two high standard referees for games is going to be difficult.

Results of GPA Player survey on Proposed Rule Changes in Gaelic Football 

Players against introduction of handpass restriction, sideline kick and kickout zoning proposals

Players in favour of the mark and sin bin proposed changes

Players believe that consideration should be given to introduction of additional referee to help apply any new rules of play

Following draft proposals recommended by the GAA’s Standing Committee on Playing Rules, the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) have consulted widely with all football squads and former inter county players in recent weeks.

Main findings of GPA Member Survey:

Handpass Restriction: Players strongly against the proposed change

Sideline kick: Players against this proposed change

Kickout zoning: Players strongly against this proposed change

The Mark: Players marginally in favour of this proposed change

Sin Bin: Players marginally in favour of this proposed change

This feedback has been submitted to the Standing Rules Committee on Playing Rules as part of a wider consultation with referees, coaches and officials.

While the GPA supports measures to develop our games it is important that any rule changes are introduced with the aim of enhancing the playing experience for players and to provide a greater spectacle for supporters.

The GPA understands the difficulty of implementing change and acknowledges the significant efforts made by the Standing Rules Committee in this regard. We urge an Coiste Bainistíochta and Central Council to take on board the views of players before deciding on any further course of action at their respective meetings later this month.

Speaking today on the survey findings the CEO of the GPA Paul Flynn said; “The findings of this GPA membership survey are interesting and provide a lot of detailed information for the GAA to examine and to take into account before any decisions are made on the proposed rule changes. Players are of the view that the handpass restriction, sideline kick and kickout zoning proposed changes won’t work. They are, however, in favour of the mark and sin bin rule proposed changes. The GPA has presented the survey findings to the GAA with detailed squad feedback and we have made it clear how important it is that the feedback is taken on board before any decisions are made.

For many squads promotion from the National Football League is their main objective for the season. Implementing all of these significant rule changes at this stage, they fear, would disrupt their detailed game plans which have already been developed over the past couple of seasons and it could cost them a promotion. Players are also of the view that consideration should be given to the introduction of an additional referee to help apply any new rules. The GAA must be fair and reasonable in how it decides to move on the proposed rule changes. Players, fans and officials deserve nothing less.”  

Explain what limits you want to put on the handpass.

Less than the unlimited crud which is allowed now.

Its killing the game, it’s not a good aspect of the game, it’s not liked by the spectators, and dumbing it down.

And the you have trundles trying to defend it………!!

Unbelievable Jeff.