Bonner says new rule has all hallmarks of something positive
DONEGAL manager Declan Bonner has claimed that the advance mark in Gaelic football could be adopted on a permanent basis. The Donegal boss was one of the most outspoken critics of the experimental handpass rule, which sought to place a cap of three consecutive handpasses in a sequence of play. That rule was rejected at last month’s Central Council meeting leading to criticism from some observers that inter-county managers had too much influence in determining rule changes. But Bonner insists that he is open to any rule which will improve Gaelic football as a spectacle and said he has been impressed by the impact of the advance mark, which gives the receiving player the option of a free-kick when taking a clean catch from any kick outside the opposing 45-metre line which has travelled 20 metres. But he has qualified his support by saying that some tweaks may have to be made to the rule after concerns were aired about the clarity in calling a mark, the inability to definitively measure if a kick has travelled 20 metres and the regular breaching of the 15-second clock inside which a marked kick should be taken. However, Bonner believes that if those issues are addressed then the advance mark, which will not feature in this summer’s Championship, could be passed into rule next year. ‘I think it could. There is some slight confusion around it at the minute and that has to be tidied up,’ said Bonner. ‘But I see no real issue with it and anything that will improve the game is something I’d welcome.’ And Bonner insists that he is open to other rule changes in the future, including a ban on passing the ball back to goalkeepers in open play. ‘It might be worth looking at a rule where if you go inside the 65, you can’t retreat beyond it. ‘The other thing that could be a live option is not having the goalkeeper involved in open play. ‘That would eliminate a lot of the holding of possession and allow teams to press. That is something that could be possibly looked at,’ added Bonner, who believes there is evidence already this
season that football is improving as a spectacle. Bonner’s team sit top of Division 2 ahead of Sunday’s visit to Tipperary with full points after wins over Clare and Meath but the quality of those games are indicative of a more expansive trend in the game, he argues. ‘I have been watching football a long time but I think we are getting a lot of good games now; even the two we have played in were decent matches against Clare and Meath. ‘We are trying to play football by being more attack-minded, getting more bodies forward and playing the proper way.’ Meanwhile, Bonner insisted that he is leaving the Donegal motion which seeks to limit Dublin to one game in Croke Park during the Super 8s for his county board to deal with. Donegal pointed out that Dublin had an unfair advantage in the new format which gifted them two home games, while the rest were limited to one. ‘The county board are dealing with that at executive level. ‘Our board are fairly strong on it and at the time I would have said it should be a level playing field and that’s my view,’ added Bonner.