GAA’s rules committee returns to the drawing board after its restart motion kicked to touch

THE proposal to introduce a zonal-based kick-out in Gaelic football will be binned and redrafted.

It is understood that negative feedback from match officials in trial games has all but killed the initiative, which had promised a radical overhaul of restarts.

The proposed alteration was put forward among five rule changes for potential trial in the new season. It sought for just two players from each team to be positioned between the two 45-metre lines for kick-outs and directed that no player on the ‘receiving’ team could play the ball inside their 45m line.

It meant that teams, effectively, would set up in an orthodox manner in a bid to counteract massed defensive systems.

However, flaws with the proposal emerged in behind-closeddoors trials involving college teams, with match officials believed to have found it challenging to police.

It is understood the GAA’s Standing Committee on the Playing Rules accept the proposal could not be practically applied at club level — in the event of it ever being voted into the rule book — and have opted for a redraft.

The amended proposal will simply require all restarts go beyond the 45m line before the ball can be played by the receiving team.

The trials had also exposed the possible challenge of getting the ball beyond the 45m line in windy conditions and, as a result, kickouts will be moved forward to the 20-metre line.

The other four proposals included a cap of three consecutive hand-passes, a mark from all kicks taken beyond the 45m line and caught inside the 20m line, the ball to go forward from sideline kicks and a 10-minute sinbin for black card and double yellow card offences, and remain on the agenda.

Any rule changes approved by Central Council will feature in preseason, starting in next month’s O’Byrne Cup as well as the Allianz League, but can’t feature in the Championship until 2020 at the earliest.

The GAA’s Management Committee meeting on November 23 will recommend which motions should be forwarded for trial, subject to the approval of Central Council which takes place the following day.

It is understood that the committee is confident all five proposed changes, including its redrafted kick-out rule, will get the green light for trial.