GAA Congress: All-Ireland Football Championship revamp backed with big majority

The first of Saturday’s motions in Donegal Town saw a move to clarify the hurling handpass heavily defeated.

The Tipperary motion called for a new rule where players would no longer be able to handpass using the same hand in which they are holding the sliotar.

This was because of the widespread view that players are getting away with widespread illegal handpasses in the modern game.

However, the motion was heavily defeated as it received only 32.4% support – well short of the 60% majority required for a rule change.

A motion proposing that, in order to play inter-county championship football, a player must have played in four club league games in the same calendar year, was withdrawn after a long debate.

Cork GAA chief executive Kevin O’Donovan described the motion as “unworkable and unenforceable” although this was rejected by the motion’s primary advocate former Dublin player Noel McCaffrey, who was speaking on behalf of the Clontarf club who submitted the motion.

GAA president Jarlath Burns then suggested that McCaffrey should withdraw the motion with a view to amending it for next year’s Congress and this plan was agreed.

A motion calling for All-Ireland Senior Finals to go to replays if teams are level after normal time and for provincial finals to be replayed if teams are level after extra-time – thereby avoiding penalty shootouts in provincial deciders – was withdrawn and deferred to a Special Congress.

Donegal chairperson Mary Coughlan spoke out against penalty shootouts in provincial finals even though her own county won last year’s Ulster Final against Armagh in that fashion.

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