Time for hurling to take a step in the right direction

John Fogarty
HURLING people are not to be confused with GAA people.

They really only care for the one game. The only national game in their book.

They are slavishly protective of their sport to the point that they can be quite snobbish about it.

If Croke Park didn’t give them reason to be so hoity-toity they mightn’t be so bad but when experimental rules aimed at curing football’s ills are pressed on hurling there are grounds for grievances.

Over the years, they have been some real beauties inflicted on the small ball game. For example, hurling really seemed to be a victim of collateral damage in 2005 when the “sin bin” rule was introduced for the National Leagues.

Apart from a couple of possibilities such as two points awarded for a sideline cut point (a preposterous idea for an unchallenged effort) and a heavier sliotar, hurling people can’t countenance the idea of the game being changed.

“Hasn’t it given us two of the greatest GAA spectacles in the last two All-Ireland finals” is the cry.

That it surely has but hurling has its problems. The definition of a good refereeing performance is letting the game flow, disregarding frees as outlined in the rulebook or playing advantage at every opportunity.

For hurling to thrive, common sense has to reign.

But without rules, what is hurling? Or has it outgrown its parameters? On the basis of the four-step rule, it certainly has. No rule in hurling has been as contravened or as ignored as much this year as rule 1.7.

For the record, the rule states that “the ball may be carried in the hand for a maximum of four consecutive steps or held in the hand for no longer than the time needed to take four steps”.

However, the rule has often been interpreted by referees as permitting the player to keep the ball in hand until he is free from his opponent or opponents.
Their belief seems to be the four steps are only four steps when the player is allowed to take them unchallenged.

Even if that is the message coming from the powers-that-be, there have been so many examples of players getting away with the four-step rule this year that referees are either not doing their job and not counting or turning a blind eye to the rule breach altogether.

The players are not the main culprits here. They wouldn’t be doing it if they didn’t think they could away with it.

But get away with it, they can. Scot-free, almost. In both All-Ireland quarter-final games in Thurles last month, it was astonishing just how much ball was carried in hand over the limit.

The same is all but sure to happen again on Sunday as much as Barry Kelly is one of the best referees around.
Whether it’s the pressure being put on match officials to encourage entertaining games there’s a flagrant and widespread abuse of a fundamental hurling rule and nobody seems to care.

Well, some do. One individual has felt so strongly it that they have posted a video of “offending players” on YouTube with John Mullane, Richie Power, Joe Canning and Lar Corbett being “named and shamed”.

Indeed, Corbett’s second goal against Kilkenny in last year’s All-Ireland final clearly shows the 2010 hurler of the year took as many as eight steps before dispatching the ball past PJ Ryan.

Now, Tipperary would have likely been given a free anyway given John Tennyson threw his hurley at him but it doesn’t take away from the fact he fouled the ball.
But did Kilkenny complain? No. Because they’ve been guilty of the same thing themselves. Everybody is.

Like football, hurling is evolving at a rate of knots while the playing rulebook gathers dust.

Four steps is nothing now. Players are so quick and strong now that those in possession require more time to get free of their opponents.

When the new Central Council-appointed standing rules committee sit down over the next few weeks, the square ball rule will be at the top of their agenda.

However, the four-step rule should also be considered. Increasing the number, possibly to six, might be an idea.

But something will have to be done sooner or later. If hurling expects to blossom on common sense alone it’s got another thing coming.

Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/acmV0JEfVe0/post.aspx

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