Ref call against Kerry highlights need for change to farcical new rule

Kerry were victorious in their All-Ireland MFC quarter-final against Cavan at Portlaoise this afternoon, winning 0-14 to 1-9.

They will now face the winner of tomorrow’s clash between Offaly and Mayo.

One incident during the game added further fuel to the argument against the most unpopular of the new Gaelic football rules that have been implemented this season.

If a player wins a mark of a free, the opposition must immediately get out of the way, with the punishment being that the free is moved 50m forward.

However, the rule has been far too much lenient to the attacking side.

In today’s incident, Cavan won an impressive mark, and while Kerry players clearly did their best to get their arms and bodies out of the way, one of their men slightly hampered the run of the Cavan man, and the referee duly brought the free up 50m.

It is widely agreed that something has to change.

Ahead of the game, Kerry boss Wayne Quillinan spoke about Cavan.

He said: “In the Down game, they were 8-3 down. They came back to win the game against Donegal. They were down by a few points as well. Against Tyrone, they went 4-0 down, and they showed huge character in coming back to be two points up at half-time.

“Cavan are going to be ultra-defensive, and they’re really well coached. They’re really hard to break down. They will break at pace then, obviously with the numbers back protecting the arc. They’re looking for turnovers.

“They have two really good midfielders in Sam Maguire and Faolán Graham, and they have three really good guys in the three-up with Jake Brady, Nathan Quigley and Mark Reilly. Like every team in the country, they’re going to look to transition the ball as fast as they possibly can.”