Helmet rule needs to be obeyed rather than clarified

managed to win one and draw two of the five games, it was essentially down to their attack.

Of course, Fitzmaurice can only pick from what’s available so we can assume that there are no John O’Keeffes or Seamus Moynihans being overlooked in the Kingdom.

OVERLOOKED

Still, it’s surprising that management haven’t improvised in some way so as to tighten the defensive bolts. After all, that’s their job.

Interestingly, Kerry managed it against Dublin in the 2015 All Ireland final when they conceded 0-12, the lowest score to win the final for 12 years. However, it came at a cost for the Kingdom, who scored 0-9, their lowest in a final for 50 years.

Winning the 2014 All-Ireland title released the pressure on Kerry but it was building again this year until the Allianz League final success over Dublin in April.

Even then, the defence was vulnerable, conceding 1-16, a total that would almost certainly have been higher except for Diarmuid Connolly’s departure on a black card in the first half. And prior to reaching the final, only Roscommon had a worse defensive record than Kerry in Division 1.

Essentially then, Kerry have had defensive problems for five seasons, a trend that continued last Sunday. If it wasn’t solved up to then, how can it be fixed in six days?

Looks like it’s back to the forwards again to keep the All Ireland dream alive. THE 2016 Hurler of the Year wants “more clarification” and the Galway captain says the GAA “need to take a look at it”.

The item of interest for Austin Gleeson and David Burke is the rule on interference with helmets, which has been high on the agenda in recent times.

Gleeson, whose participation in the All-Ireland final was in doubt after pulling Luke Meade’s helmet off in the semifinal, described the incident as a ‘total accident’. Referee James Owens obviously agreed, having informed the GAA’s disciplinary authorities that he had dealt with the incident.

TV footage didn’t back up Owens’ benign attitude but once the referee had spoken, there was no case to answer. Gleeson said that if the ‘rule was clarified a bit more’ there might be fewer incidents.

INTERFERENCE

Actually, it’s a pretty straightforward rule. Deliberate interference merits a red card and a one-match ban. In the circumstances, surely it’s best to err on the cautious side, especially if an opponent is on the ground.

Burke admitted that he hadn’t “read the wording of the rule,” which seems extraordinary for a man who will lead his county into the All-Ireland final.

He elaborated further. “There are a lot of referees coming out saying they don’t agree with the rule.

“The GAA need to look at it because people are talking about the wording in the ruling. It is affecting players.”

It would be interesting to know which referees don’t agree with the rule and to whom are they dispensing their wisdom?

As for “affecting players,” the rule is there or one reason – to provide protection against potential danger. No further clarification is needed.