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

The keepers might come up in soccer if it's near the end of a game chasing a equaliser. Soccer pitch obviously not as big so having another player up constantly would be taking up space.

I don't think relying on the keeper all the time like Rafferty is good for the outfield players. It's like everything has to go through the keeper

Sure you will, so the players dictate the way the GAA is run?

That way they will end up ‘playing’ before empty stadia.

Carry on.

Was consumed by football for most of my life and really worried how I would deal with my retirement from playing but I have to be honest I don’t miss it at all and get it hard to watch any games these days. If there is one on and nothing else to do I might watch it but could take it or leave it. With the club, I’ll go to the odd championship game but that is more for my sons and the social aspect. The games are terrible spectacles and this is senior level. My time playing was a mix of senior and junior (2nd team) and I always enjoyed the junior way more, it was more of just go out and play traditional football. I endured the last 3 - 4 years in of my time in the senior team, as a forward it was horrible, no space to run into with 2 sweepers sitting constantly in front of you.

So what to do, I’d start with going down to 13 or 12 players - the pitches haven’t changed in size but the players are way fitter and cover the ground better at every level of the game.

The next thing would be the hand pass, you can’t ban it but I’d make is harder by using the one hand only, most hand passes are not being correctly done and allowing 2 hands makes it more of a throw - the hand holding the ball moves towards the intended target providing the direction and let’s be honest most of the lift. Using the same hand does bring up the same problem hurling has but it shouldn’t be as bad with the large ball helping to see if a player has thrown or striked the ball another option would be a hand pass can only come with a single strike of the ball after it last touched the foot, imagine a player soloing and flicking the ball to a teammate with one hand just before he is tackled.

I suggested that very approach on the 13th in reaction to your post about a "Caveman Mentality". I pasted it below to save you looking it up.

It won't happen by people coming on the internet calling the game muck telling people they are cavemen. Just because you have an obsession with the handpass. If you are not already a member, join a club. Explain to the players about how they are doing it all wrong. Get the club to persuade the County delegate to Congress to propose your ideas. It does need a two thirds majority, but anything sensible like making 8 players wear armbands is bound to go through.

A reduction to 13 players might be a good thing , the mark should only be for overhead catches in midfield between the 30’s or do away with it altogether. Its stupid players catching a waist height ball and getting a mark . My memory of football in the ‘80s was great but in the ‘86 final I remember Kerry hand passing up the pitch for a pal into the square for Pat Spillane to palm in . So perhaps perhaps a limit on handpasses before the ball has to be kicked into the full forward line . I don’t know but a running handpass game through every line isn’t great to watch

Changing rules should try to encourage the "positive" rather than punish the "negative". I would anticipate limiting the number of handpasses could have the unintended consequence of creating "rucks". Team not in possession incentivised to prevent the foot pass by surrounding player in possession who is left with no option to get rid of the ball.

An example of a positive rule change designed to encourage more attacking play impacting a sport in a positive way is the 50-22 in rugby. This is the type of innovative thinking we need.

1924 All Ireland Final 0-04 to 0-03. 1927 0-05 to 0-03.

There is nothing, absolutely nothing, stopping teams playing football from the 1920's or 1960's. Same basic rules. But unless both teams agreed, the one sticking to the old ways, would get walloped.

To satisfy the internet, they should both agree that their keepers will stay at home, nobody will pass back to him, he will send kickouts more than 50 yards, there will be no marks claimed, and the objective will be to kick the ball as far as possible on every occasion. It worked grand for 100 years until the players and coaches discovered that they could do better by retaining possession, even if it meant going backwards or sideways. The old way is not coming back, and the new experiment has been running long enough now to prove that it gets the crowds.

Perfect example of how difficult it is to dispossess a player in possession on a one to one encounter.

Dublin player textbook protecting the ball keeping his body between the red player and the ball….

Red player has no chance of a dispossession.

At least my information is accurate, unlike the post about the Donegal scoreline. That happened in 2016, not 2022. And what does it prove?

I’m not trying to “beat Gaelic Football” with any stick……. Just trying to suggest ideas to improve it.

I would respectfully suggest the the vast majority of poster input here have issues with the propensity of handpassing

in modern Gaelic Football.

Thats all…no agenda other than that….all for the good of the game, dude.

I don’t think so, and I watched those games to verify my points.

29 to be exact, you might try it sometime might bring a dose of reality into your thinking.

Im all for improving Gaelic Football and moving on,not ignoring the obvious deficiencies of the game as there are for all games.

Thats life, things change, we move on, we evaluate, we suggest.

We don’t back into a corner and spout bile on everyone who sees the elephant in the room.

Its all positive stuff hopefully.

29 to be exact, but to be more exact you said 47 on the 13th.

On a recent tv game I counted 47 hand passes in a passage of play without the opposition touching the ball!

I'm using the blanket defence.