‘When a player catches the ball cleanly from a Kick-Out without it touching the ground, on or past the 45m line nearest the Kick-Out point, he shall be awarded ‘a Mark’ by the Referee. The player awarded a ‘Mark’ shall have the options of (a) Taking a free kick or (b) Playing on immediately.’
Here we go, January 1 and we have a new game.
The GAA’s new year’s resolution should be to stop tampering with the sport of football that we know and love so well. Even if a few people in high places continue to scaremonger otherwise, the sport is not dying. We are not losing interest. And these moronic rule changes are not going to help in any way.
The mark has been brought in, effective from 2017, and it’s obvious why it is there – at least why it’s supposed to be there:
- They want to encourage goalkeepers to go longer with their kickouts.
- They want to speed the game up.
- They want to reward high catching.
- They want to protect the art of high catching.
- They want more open contests and rail against a defensive trend which, if they looked properly, has already started to dwindle.
The Mark will be introduced to Gaelic Football in 2017 – here's a taster of what the rule can add to Gaelic Football from January 1st! #GAA pic.twitter.com/XCZhTY5FCo
— The GAA (@officialgaa) November 30, 2016
Isn’t it funny though, in these promo videos for the mark – all the great stuff we have to look forward to, all the beautiful high catching – they show clips of men fielding the ball… without the mark.
“Here’s a taster of what the rule can add” – but to do that we’re going to show clips of life without the rule.
It’s bonkers. The whole rule is bonkers.
The idea that a free kick can speed the game up is laughable. For a start, it stops the game.
It won’t encourage ‘keepers to go long – it might actually have the exact opposite effect in some cases. If you’re at risk of conceding a free kick from your own kickout, you’ll set up more cautiously. You won’t want to give away a scoreable free from your own kick nor will you want them to have a dead ball to pick off their six forwards whilst your backs stand like sitting ducks. Two things will happen:
- Short kickouts will increase to protect possession and avoid a free.
- Extra sweepers could be deployed at least from the kickout to a) get the ball and b) offer protection if you don’t get the ball and the opposition win a free.
Players will impede on the catcher, no doubt about it – it’s not going to be this glorious spectacle that they think. If a man wins a free off me from a high catch, I’d be looking to make damn sure that he goes no further and that he definitely can’t take it quickly. You’d almost get a free foul on him with this new rule.
Unfortunately with most rule changes in any sport – even something as unnecessary as a mark – they’re met with several urgent plots to counteract them.
Only the very best actually use such rulings to their advantage. Very few try to exploit the perks of them. Most just want to make sure they don’t get caught out by them. Most want to learn straight away how they can nullify it.
It’ll be the same with the mark and it will be more so. Anyone who thinks it’s going to help the game in any way is in la-la land.
Now, let’s look at some more highlights of seasons gone by to see what we have to look forward to.
