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1st September 2025
04:58pm BST
Kerry manager Jack O’Connor has outlined the one potential rule change he would like to see the GAA implement in 2026.
After Gaelic football was turned on its head in 2025 with the introduction of the two-point arc, we could see more changes sooner rather than later.
Jim Gavin, chairman of the Football Review Committee, revealed in July that the GAA would be trialling a few more rules in the summer, including four-point goals and the ‘no backpass’ rule, also known as the 'over and back' or 'back-court' rule, meaning a player can’t go back into their defensive half after crossing halfway
These new rules were trialled at a ‘sandbox’ game in Abbotstown in July, with SportsJOE getting the inside scoop on how they went down.
Speaking with Morning Ireland, O’Connor insisted he is keen to see the over and back or ‘back-court’ rule implemented, due to the difficulty in pressing teams now.
He said: “I spoke to Jarlath Burns earlier in the year one evening. He might have rang me in and I actually mentioned the thing that they're talking about now, the back-court one where once you cross the halfway line, you can't go back into your own half.
“That could really work because it's hard enough to press a team now – they're holding onto the ball because there's so much space.
“I feel that if that one was brought in where once you crossed the half, you basically can't go ‘back court’ like basketball.
“That's one that's worth trialling, certainly worth having a look at. It might decrease the amount of hand-passing because that might be the one thing that, at the moment, could be improved – there’s still a bit too much hand-passing."
