Problems will come to
THE new rules was the hot topic of conversation with boss Andy McEntee following Meath’s impressive O’Byrne Cup win over the hosts in Portlaoise on Saturday night.
McEntee (below right) reiterated his concerns that the forthcoming National Football League would be used as an experiment for the new rules, although they won’t come into force for the championship even if they are proved to be a success.
‘For 80 per cent of the teams the league is the most important and the best competition they have, now they are tricking with it and making it an experiment,’ McEntee said.
‘These rules are not going to be in for the championship, so does that mean you cancel the results of the league and just say ‘ok we are having an experiment here and nothing changes at the end. Even then if they don’t accept the rules changes for the league, when do we find out, seven days before the league starts? I’m not too sure that’s fair on players or management or anybody.
‘The fact it is not coming in for the championship just makes an experiment out of the league. The league is too important to be an experiment, that is the bread and butter for the vast majority of intercounty teams. The league is a great competition, seven games in nine weeks, but now they are experimenting, I don’t think that’s fair.
‘I was disappointed with the way the new rules were implemented. The first set of rules were trials and we were all consulted and the general opinion was a negative one. Then they went and asked for an amended set of rules and nobody was consulted, they just adopted those with no trial period and no consultation, so that disappointed me.
‘If you are out there and someone is trying to hammer the daylights out of you and you are trying to think is that the second or third handpass it is not easy. It’s the same for the referee, he is up and down the pitch and I’m sure he is going to miss some of them, it’s not easy. Linesmen need to be given a little bit more authority.
‘There were a couple of very obvious breaches of the rules right in front of us here tonight but the referee was unsighted because of players in his way. What’s wrong with giving the linesman the option of putting up his flag and saying that’s a free?
‘Referees have so much to be doing, I think umpires and linesmen could be given a little bit more power. That might help the burden.’
McEntee said he did see some merit in the changes, even if they take time to get used to, and that with some tweaking they could help the game.
‘I thought we got a little bit