'It seems stupid' - Monaghan's Ryan Wylie questions 'bizarre' rule trial
Wednesday 16 January 2019 17:29, UK
Monaghan star Ryan Wylie has questioned the manner in which the GAA are trialling new rules for Gaelic football.
It will be decided on Saturday whether the trial period for the experimental rules will be extended for the Allianz National League. After the five alterations have been in effect throughout the preseason competitions, some are of the opinion that we have seen enough. Others argue that they must be trialed when teams are at full strength in order for their full value to be determined.
They will be shelved for the championship, with a vote taking place in 2020 on whether they will be implemented on a permanent basis.
"It seems stupid," stated Wylie. "If they're going to put them in, have them in for the whole lot instead of training through the league with one set of rules, your game plans and everything, then you just have to scrap it then at the end of the league which is a bit bizarre."
The Ballybay Pearse Brothers club man also sympathises with the referees, who are tasked with officiating the new rule set:
"I think overall the rules are probably very tough on the referees. They have an awful tough job, no matter what the decision making, 99 percent of the time when you look back, they're nearly always right no matter what you think. They're just making it tougher and tougher for the referees.
"Interview some of the referees and see how they're coping because I'm sure it's very tough for them as well."
Wylie and Monaghan have been training and playing matches in the McKenna Cup, and the Farney defender feels that the limit of three hand passes is stifling teams going forward.
"It's very tough to engineer goal chances and there's nothing better in a game of football than a goal."
"With the hand pass, you find yourself counting the whole game and shouting numbers," he explained. "It's very tough to engineer goal chances and there's nothing better in a game of football than a goal. Once you see the net bulging, that's probably the best thing about a game of football, a well-worked goal. But you're not really seeing any of that. There's a stat in the McKenna Cup, I think they're down 50 percent goals.
"If you're on your third-hand pass, teams are just going to drop back and defend. They're not going to kick it from me to you. I think it's nearly slowed the game down more, to be honest. A lot of our games, you go so far forward and before you know it, you're nearly back in midfield and starting again.
"But I came in with an open mind, I said 'I'll give these a go', and we've been training with them. We haven't been completely ignorant to the fact that they might come through, we've been training away with them because they might help us improve as footballers as well but I just don't think they've worked so far, but we'll find out on Saturday."
Overall, he feels the GAA are trying too much at once, and questioned the need for change.
"Five rules in one go, I don't know if there's any other sport in the world who would bring in so many rules in one go," he argued. "Was the Championship that bad last summer? I think some of them felt like belters playing them. Kerry, Galway felt good. Both Tyrone games were decent.
"How many scores do people want?"
