{"id":656611,"date":"2026-10-16T14:30:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T14:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/656611\/"},"modified":"2026-10-16T14:30:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T14:30:10","slug":"a-9-19-to-1-9-win-and-handpass-limits-first-look-at-gaelic-footballs-experimental-new-rules-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/656611\/","title":{"rendered":"A 9-19 to 1-9 win and handpass limits: First look at Gaelic football\u2019s experimental new rules \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Among the small crowd in Santry<\/a> on Thursday evening for a third-level league game trialling new experimental rules was a Trinity College masters student attending their first ever Gaelic football<\/a> match.<\/p>\n

The fact the fixture ended up as a cricket score (UCD<\/a> 9-19 Trinity<\/a> College 1-9) might have been puzzling enough, but how do you explain that UCD\u2019s nine goals were worth 36 points in new money but only 27 in old money?<\/p>\n

Either way, the GAA newcomer did get to experience a game of Gaelic football in which foot-passing was a dominant skill, present in pretty much every phase of play. The limit of three consecutive handpasses certainly had the desired impact of showcasing a sport with more kicking.<\/p>\n

The players were visibly and audibly more aware, and anxious, of that rule than any of the others put forward for experimentation by the Gaelic football Expert Advisory Group (EAG). <\/p>\n

They counted handpasses aloud mid-play and, on receiving one, their immediate impulse was to look to make a kick-pass.<\/p>\n

So conscious of the rule were both teams that over the course of the entire match there was only one violation \u2013 by UCD in the opening play of the second half.<\/p>\n

A handpass violation during a Gaelic football match, played under new rules, between UCD and Trinity in Santry, Dublin. Video: Gordon Manning <\/p>\n

Several early, long kick-passes inside led to scores at either end and players were certainly taking on passes they wouldn\u2019t have under the traditional rules.<\/p>\n

However, the increase in kick-passing didn\u2019t massively change the pattern of the game from what would be the norm under the old rules. There was still plenty of lateral build-up play, only, rather than hand-passing across the arc, players were instead moving the ball from side to side by kicking.<\/p>\n

On a couple of occasions players were caught on the third handpass and delivered the next offload with an unnatural, popped kick-pass to a team-mate in close proximity.<\/p>\n

Aside from the handpass experiment, the other main takeaways were: <\/p>\n

Kick-outs nearly all went long. Providing goalkeepers with the option of only needing to get their kick-out beyond 13 metres rather than the 40-metre arc actually appeared to stretch the pitch with opposition players tending to loiter inside the arc, prompting the keeper to go long.<\/p>\n

Trinity went short with three restarts, UCD didn\u2019t go short once. <\/p>\n

There were two backcourt violations \u2013 one from each team. No scenario occurred where the ban on a fisted point was tested and yet there were two fisted\/palmed goals during the game \u2013 when balls were centred across the face of the goal and slapped mid-air by a player into the net. Under the trial rules, those goals are still permitted.<\/p>\n

Charlie O\u2019Connor was superb in the middle of the field for UCD while Ben Hanafin, Conor Broderick and Donal Daly were among their goalscorers. James McBreen netted Trinity\u2019s goal.<\/p>\n

Overall, it was a generally positive night for the experimental rules but the one-sided nature of the match must frame any analysis. It is impossible to argue the rules received a rigorous road-test over the course of the hour in Santry.<\/p>\n

And if the Kevin McStay-chaired EAG hoped momentum would organically grow behind various rules, Thursday night proved how tricky it might prove to gain a consensus.<\/p>\n

Because the general feeling of those on the small terrace was that the limit on handpasses had a positive impact on the spectacle \u2013 we were treated to some superb long foot-passing and both teams constantly looked to move the ball forward early.<\/p>\n

However, after the game several players suggested the game felt stunted and less natural because of the limit on handpasses.<\/p>\n

\"UCDUCD players at half-time. Photograph: Gordon Manning <\/p>\n

\u201cTo be honest I\u2019m not a fan of it,\u201d said Trinity midfielder Tom McCarroll.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new rules are encouraging you to try kick forward, but if there\u2019s nothing on you can\u2019t give it. I think there are too many things for the ref to look for, there are too many things going on. <\/p>\n

\u201cEven in training, we were working on only doing one handpass at times and just trying to kick it forward, but there is a practical reality to it as well \u2013 if it\u2019s not on, you can\u2019t kick it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn fairness there was quite a lot more kicking (in the game) than we would normally be used to, but I must say I\u2019m not the biggest fan of it (limited handpass).\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the absence of manager John Divilly, UCD still had a stacked sideline on Thursday night. Current Dublin boss Ger Brennan (who is GAA Executive at Belfield) was in the dugout while former Dublin player Johnny Magee was coaching the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve probably just tried to simplify it as much as we can. We haven\u2019t overly emphasised the new rules because when it comes to the Sigerson it will be back to normal,\u201d said Magee. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut I suppose the big thing is probably the three handpass rule and being conscious of that.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about having the lads talking to each other, you could hear them shouting \u2018two, two, two\u2019 and letting team-mates know when the kick-pass was on. So, it\u2019s just kind of being conscious of that.\u201d <\/p>\n

Experienced intercounty referee Barry Tiernan was the man in the middle and policed the game confidently.<\/p>\n

David Coldrick was in attendance as a member of the EAG. Johnny Bradley, head of the GAA\u2019s Games Intellegience Unit (GIU), was also present.<\/p>\n

Of all the trial rules, Down native McCarroll feels the four-point goal is one of the most positive \u2013 despite it counting against his side on Thursday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a big fan of it because it definitely encourages you to go for a goal,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Magee echoed that sentiment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe one thing I do like is probably the four points for a goal, it\u2019s more of an incentive now. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe two-pointers were obviously a big thing this year and it is great to see the long-range shooting in the game now. But I also think it\u2019s a positive that the reward for a goal has gone to four, it encourages players to go for it more often.\u201d<\/p>\n

The data from the round-one games this week in the third-level football league \u2013 Ryan Cup \u2013 will not be central to the review of the experimentation window.<\/p>\n

The GIU has identified 15 fixtures in particular to record and analyse \u2013 the eight round-two matches, the four quarter-finals, two semi-finals and the final. The round-one matches are being viewed more as an opportunity for players to familiarise themselves with the rules in a match scenario.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you have to let the old new rules settle a wee bit before you start introducing more,\u201d added McCarroll. \u201cBut in fairness I did enjoy it there tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Among the small crowd in Santry on Thursday evening for a third-level league game trialling new experimental rules…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":656612,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[4365,61,60,112,15342,5762],"class_list":["post-656611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-gaelic-football","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-sports","tag-trinity-college-dublin-tcd","tag-ucd"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/656611","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=656611"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/656611\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/656612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=656611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=656611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=656611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}