GAA Football Review Committee member James Horan, left, speaking during a briefing of the GAA Football Review Committee at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile.
By Paul Keane
James Horan is out of inter-county management at the moment, completing his second stint in charge of Mayo two years ago.
But if he was still on the sideline, he'd be energised by the prospect of getting to work with the extensive list of 'rules enhancements' that have been presented by the Football Review Committee.
He's biased, of course, as one of 12 on the committee that devised the suite of proposals but he believes they have the potential to make the game the most enjoyable to play and watch, precisely the remit of the FRC in the first place.
So which of the rules would he go after in particular, to exploit and use to his advantage, if he was still in charge of Mayo?
"I'd go after every one of them," said the man who led his county to four All-Ireland senior finals. "Because I think they all suit the way the game should be played, to be honest. I think teams now are used to having time and possession, to having space and time for the majority of the game.
"But some of the rules we're proposing with the three up and the kick-out and all that kind of stuff will allow teams, offensively, to put real pressure on teams. And I think if you put real pressure on teams, they won't be used to it. They're sort of so used to having it a certain way. I actually think there could be a great disruptor in next year's season, a team that really goes after it offensively and that'll lead to a huge reward for them. So that's where I'd spend a lot of time, getting that right."
Horan isn't convinced that anyone involved in the game could have been happy to leave things as they were. He gives the anecdote of watching one minor team playing in this year's championship.
"As soon as the ball was thrown up, all of that team's players went back in their own half for the game," he said. "It was horrendous. I think when you have that at underage, then when they come through, that's the only way they'll know how to play.
"When you have coaches doing that at underage, then I think we'd have been in for another decade of fairly boring play as it won't be exciting enough, and they'd go and play FIFA or something for themselves. And then you have people that won't go to the games. You could then very quickly see the inter-county game drop back, the quality and the general appeal."
The GAA Football Review Committee members, back row, from left, James Horan, Michael Meaney, Eamonn Fitzmaurice, Patrick Doherty, Shane Flanagan, Malachy O'Rourke and Alec McQuillan, front row, from left, Colm Nally, Michael Murphy, Colm Collins, chairperson Jim Gavin, and Seamus Kenny after a briefing of the GAA Football Review Committee at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile.
It's a stark vista that the FRC believe can be prevented if their rules enhancements are adopted and embraced.
There are seven core enhancements;
* 1 v 1 for throw-in to start the game
* Ball must be kicked out beyond a new 40m arc. Players may be inside 20m line before kick-out
* No back pass to goalkeeper unless it is beyond the half-way line
* 40m scoring arc, two points for a point beyond this. Four points for a goal
* 3/3 structure rule
* Solo & Go
* Advanced Mark inside the 20m line
Beyond that, several more changes have been proposed which the FRC believe complement the above. These are in the area of sanctions for technical fouls, aggressive fouls and dissent, as well as proposals around game officiating and game administration, like introducing a stop clock and vanishing foam.
All in, it amounts to 50 separate motions which will be considered firstly by Central Council on October 26 and then, it is hoped, by a Special Congress on November 30. If the green light is received at those meetings, the rules will come into play at club and county levels from January 1, as temporary rules for 2025. An end of season review will then be required before any permanent changes to the playing rules kick in for 2026.
Horan is excited about not just the attacking possibilities under the new rules but also about how defending could improve too.
"Even though it's not explicitly been said, it will really increase the quality of the defender," said the former Mayo player. "I think there will be more one-on-one defending. There will be a lot of tackling that will need to be cleaner. I think it could really clean up tackling and bring back the art of defending."
Horan's Mayo teams contained brilliant defenders who loved to drive forward and set up a score, or pinch one themselves. It was the trademark of his team's when they were battling Dublin in blockbuster games at Croke Park. He is excited about how teams with this sort of attitude could thrive under the rules enhancements.
"I'm not sure was it Michael Murphy or Malachy O'Rourke that said it, but that it's about trying to promote a progressive game, where there's reward and an incentive for taking risks," said Horan. "A lot of the stuff that we've done as a committee is based on that. I think a team that's looking to attack from deep, from early, that is not afraid to kick the ball, that is looking for scores all the time, I think a team like that will be rewarded.
"I think on the flip side of that, the benefits of pressing up on the goalkeeper's kick-outs will be realised a lot more. I think the teams that adapt to that and learn quickest how to press right, I think there could be a huge initial reward for teams."
