IT’S NOT FAIR

Tipperary boss fumes over rule change reversal

TIPPERARY football manager Liam Kearns has hit out at the GAA’s decision on Saturday to drop the contentious handpass rule just seven days before the start of the Allianz League.

Delegates at the weekend’s Central Council meeting voted by a narrow margin not to allow the cap of three consecutive handpasses to be trialled in the Allianz League, which begins this Saturday night.

The controversial rule generated a furore in preseason, with a majority of managers and players making their opposition clear. The move to consign the handpass rule to the history is likely to prove popular.

However, Kearns was fuming yesterday at the GAA’s decision to allow the clock tick-down to the start of the season before clarifying which rules they would be playing under. ‘It is not fair. Either bring in these rules or don’t bring them in, but don’t be telling us just seven

leave Roscommon two ahead at the break, 0-6 to 0-4.

The four-point burst of scores decided the second half. Then a diagonal pass from Smith set up a score from Colin Compton with time almost up. ROSCOMMON: D O’Malley, D Murray (U Harney 38), C Daly, E McGrath; C Hussey, N Daly, R Daly; T O’Rourke, E Smith; N Kilroy (A Lyons 55), C Compton, S Kiloran (G Patterson 17); D Smith, C Lennon, C Cregg (C Fitzmaurice 62). Scorers: D Smith 0-8 (5fs), C Lennon 0-2, S Kiloran 0-1, C Compton 0-1, U Harney 0-1. Black card: C Compton 73 Yellow card: D Murray 6, E McGrath 32, U Harney 41, C Lennon 52, A Lyons 57 GALWAY: R Lavelle; D Kyne (D Wynne 27), SA O Ceallaigh, E Kerin; S Kelly, G Bradshaw, G O’Donnell; T Flynn (D Cummins 68), K Duggan; J Heaney, J Duane (P Cunningham 64), F Cooney (P Cooke 50); B McHugh, M Daly (C D’Arcy h-t), S Walsh. Scorers: B McHugh 1-0, G O’Donnell 0-2, S Walsh 0-2 (1f), B McHugh 0-1 (f) Black card: G O’Donnell 20, K Duggan 34, D Wynne 73 Yellow cards: J Heaney 8, B McHugh 32, E Kerin 39, G Bradshaw 47, D Wynne 52, P Cooke 54, T Flynn 59, J Duane 63 Red card: D Wynne 73 Referee: L Devenney (Mayo)

INPHO Wrestlemania: players from both Galway and Roscommon spar with each other during the FBD League decider in Tuam yesterday days before our season starts,’ said Kearns (above). ‘What I wanted was clarity on what rules we should be preparing our players instead of being informed just a week before the start of the league,’ added the Tipp boss, who admitted that his coaching and tactical preparations had been shaped to accommodate the introduction of the capped handpass rule. ‘The managers who did not bother preparing for the three handpass rule have been proven right now, haven’t they? ‘That’s my problem. ‘We prepared for it, we played pre-season games where that rule was in place and referees applied it because they were preparing for it too. ‘We actually felt that the rule changes were going to inconvenience a lot of the other teams given the protest but we were not bothered one way or the other. ‘All we wanted to know was whether they were in not at a reasonable time before the start of the League and that did not happen,’ fumed Kearns.