Feely sees positives and negatives in GAA's proposed new rules

Athy’s Kevin Feely believes many of the new changes proposed by the GAA’s Football Review Committee will, for the most part, have a positive impact on the sport.

The Athy man was one of three players from the county selected for the Leinster panel that took part in last weekend’s Allianz GAA Football Inter-Provincial Series at Croke Park, where the FRC’s seven ‘core enhancements’ were trialled ahead of November’s special congress that will vote on each of the landmark proposals.

Major changes to the kick-out, the value of long-distance scores and goals as well as new rules that keep three players in the opposition half at all times and restrict pass-backs to goalkeepers, will undoubtedly re-shape the game.

And the four series matches staged on Friday and Saturday offered everyone invested in football, a practical insight as to how these proposals might or might not improve the sport.

After suffering a heavy 22-point reversal (4-21 to 1-11) at the hands of Connacht in the opening match of the series on Friday night, Leinster bounced back with a 1-19 to 1-15 triumph over Munster in the Shield Final the following evening, Feely himself getting on the scoresheet with four points.

For Feely, the fact that he and his Leinster team mates experienced both victory and defeat in the series, served to provide a more insightful understanding, not only of how the proposed new changes could serious benefit the sport, but also the how one or two could potentially impair the game.

“We got two very different experiences of it between the Friday and Saturday night games,” Feely told The Kildare Nationalist.

“The Friday night match, we put it very much down to the fact that we didn’t train or have any plan going into that game, just taking as it comes, whereas it was very obvious that Connacht did try to come up with some sort of a plan to take advantage of the rules as best they could, and they did that big time, especially with regard to the kick-out rule.

“The stand-out thing from that game was that they got on top of our kick-outs, played loads of really big lads around the middle.

“And because the ball has to travel over the 40-metre arc you can end up under serious pressure for a long period of time, and for that first quarter, Leinster couldn’t win the ball back off their own kick-out and we just got punished so badly.

“Off the back of that, we put a bit of planning and preparation into the next game.

“And so we then experienced the other side of that, where, for the first two quarters, Munster couldn’t win their own kick-out because of the press that we had on, and we punished them on the scoreboard.

“I suppose our only worry with that is that, if there is that bit of a gulf in ability between two teams, the game could get away very quickly. There could be an awful lot more hammerings.

“It could be an awful lot harder for a team that doesn’t have the same depth of talent as another team, to make the game any sort of a contest at all. So in terms of rules that I feel didn’t necessarily work, that would be one,” he said.

Feely was, however, very positive regarding the new 3v3 structure and the solo and go rule.

The former ensures at least three players remain in the opposition half at all times, while the solo and go affords players, who have been fouled, the option to restart immediately, taking the ball forward or sideways.

“The three-up rule was excellent” said the Athy man. “There was so much more space inside for the forwards, there was much more kick-passing, more passes available and it was much easier to get a score than it has been for the last seven or eight years.

“But I genuinely haven’t a clue as to how, in a club game, a referee is going to police that. Maybe they have a plan for that, but it’s a brilliant rule if it can be enforced.

“The solo and go is a brilliant option to have. It definitely sped the game up,” he stressed.

Feely, also favoured the rule restricting pass-backs to goalkeepers, and while he does believe the new advanced mark proposal will divide opinion, largely along lines of backs and forwards, it is one to which he himself also gives the thumbs-up.

“I know there were some mixed opinions on the advanced mark and it probably depends on what position you play,” he said.

“The backs obviously don’t like it because it gives all the advantage to the forwards, but I’d have no problem with seeing a forward being rewarded for really good play. That’s what everyone wants to see.

“I thought the rule restricting the pass-back to the goalkeeper also worked well.

“It stopped teams from being able to easily keep the ball by going sideways and backwards and still gave a team freedom to be daring and commit the goalie completely to an attack,” he added.

Feely is, however, a little more circumspect regarding the effects of the new scoring system that awards two points for a strike over the crossbar from outside the 40-metre arc, while the value of a goal is increased to four points.

“I’m pretty undecided on the new scoring system,” admitted Feely. 

“I don’t know whether it’s necessary, but, at the same time, it definitely encouraged lads to take on shots from further outfield and there were some unbelievable scores, some exhibition kicking from some lads.

“But, at the same time, it’s creating huge gaps between the teams, where, all of a sudden, a team can be 11 or 12 points down, and then, in an effort to catch up, they’re forcing long-range shots that just aren’t on,” he explained.

Regarding areas surrounding fouls, dissent and the imposition of a 50m penalty, Feely said “The logic of it is really good. I’d be very much in favour of heavily penalising any delaying or mouthing at the ref.

“Although a 50m penalty, given the size of our pitches, it maybe should be adjusted back to 30m or 40m for scale, because it’s such a huge penalty,” he suggested.

Given the monumental change that is likely to be brought about to the game by the FRC’s core enhancements, Feely has stressed just how important the Interprovincial Series was in giving the public a sense of how these proposals will play out practically.

“What I thought was a huge benefit this weekend was that all coaches, managers and players watching it would have just learnt so much from those four games, how to plan for the new rules going forward, how to prepare and take advantage of it”, he said.

“As a trial and an opportunity for people to look at them and see where they might be able to get the best results for their own team, I think it was excellent.

“There are one or two of the rules I’m not fully sold on and they might have negative consequences, but outside of that, I think they’re bringing about a badly-needed change to the game.”