GAA president Jarlath Burns says that the new experimental rules for Gaelic football devised by Jim Gavin and the Football Review Committee are edging the association towards the “perfect game.” There will be a review at the end of the National League campaign and prior to the start of the championship, but some of the news rules like keeping three players at all time in the opposition half of the field seem certain to confirmed. However, the rule which allows goalkeepers join the attack is sure to garner more debate before being approved for the championship.
Speaking last week at the launch of the All-Ireland under 20 football championships, which will start on March 19, the former Armagh footballer said: “When I was elected as president-elect last year, I made it clear that Gaelic football was going to be my number-one priority. I didn’t want to say fix the game, but enhance the game of football. I think I definitely hit the jackpot with the man that I got to chair the review committee. Jim Gavin is an incredible guy. I speak to him maybe three or four times a week. He’s very methodical, very meticulous.”
Burns continued, “The one thing we both decided was we wanted to create a blueprint. We weren’t just tinkering with the rules. We weren’t going to do something there that was going to affect something here. We were going to completely reimagine, starting off, what do we want the game to be. We wanted to say we had one of the most exciting games to play and to watch and to participate in. That’s quite a big north star as Jim called it, and I gave him a very short space of time to do it because 2025 is a year when you are allowed to change rules. It has to be in a year that is divisible by five, so the next time we will be able to do that is 2030. Hopefully by that stage, like hurling this year, there won’t be any changes needed so I really feel that we are getting very close to what you could call the perfect game. Whenever you can take 15 men behind the ball, you are cutting down on space, and I think that’s what we have done. We have created space and we have created fast transitions, and I really do think it’s working.”
IRISH VS. ALL BLACKS
FOR SOLDIER FIELD
The Irish Rugby team will return to Soldier Field, Chicago next November for a rematch with New Zealand. Soldier Field was the venue when Ireland won their first ever men’s international against New Zealand back in 2016, defeating the then-world champions 40-29, in what was their 29th attempt at a win over the All Blacks. Their rivalry has become more even since that day, with the sides sharing their last 10 meetings, five apiece, although New Zealand have won the most recent two, including a World Cup quarter-final between the pair in 2023. It will be Ireland’s third Test match in Chicago, having returned in 2018, when they defeated Italy 54-7.
CEO Kevin Potts said: ‘‘The 2016 encounter at Soldier Field is one of the greatest moments in Irish Rugby history, and the rivalry that has grown between our two teams since then is a testament to the quality, passion, and the respect that Ireland and New Zealand have for each other.’’
RING IS RISING STAR
Just how much pressure does being a grand-niece of hurling legend Christy Ring put on a young GAA player? Abigal Ring, 20, is already making a name for herself as a footballer. She was named Player of the Match in the 2022 All-Ireland minor final and last year, despite being a fresher, was one of seven UCC players to make the O’Connor Cup All Star team. Cloyne may be historically known as a hurling stronghold but Ladies football is now thriving in the East Cork club whose girls now have plenty of totemic role models of their own to rival “Ringy.” Abigal said: “We had such an inspiration in the amazing Cork team that won the 10 in-a-row. I grew up to saying I want to be like them.’’ In addition to all the hurling honors Christy Ring won with Glen Rovers, he also won a Cork football championship with the Glen’s sister club St Nicholas’.
N. KERRY BIG GUNS
WANT TO UNITE
Divisional teams are very popular in the Kerry senior football championship and teams like East Kerry, South Kerry and Mid Kerry have produced some great teams down the decades. East Kerry won the first-ever All-Ireland club championship final in 1971, but the rules were then changed as individual clubs could not compete with divisional teams. Divisional teams do give opportunities for players in small clubs to play senior championship football. For example if East Kerry win the Kerry championship then the club that wins the East Kerry Championship (O’Donoghue Cup) get the opportunity to nominate the Kerry captain for the following year. Kerry is one of the few counties to still use this old rule. Now comes news that two divisional teams from North Kerry, Feale Rangers and Shannon Rangers, want to amalgamate. Decades of rivalry between the two big north Kerry clubs will be set aside with one team set to represent north Kerry in the county championship if approval is given by the County Board. A decision will be taken at a meeting of the Kerry County Board in April.
