New rules ask too much of club referees, warns McEntee
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The new Football Review Committee (FRC) rules are going to ask too much of club referees, according to John McEntee.
Armagh’s 2002 All-Ireland SFC winner will manage Monaghan club Inniskeen for a third season in 2025 and is alarmed about what is being expected of match officials outside of the inter-county game.
“There are some concerns about the application of the rules and my concern is not so much around county level as club and under-age level,” says McEntee. “I absolutely agree that the FRC are bringing in changes that should have come in long before now like punishing back-chat to the referee and the rule is quite clear in dealing with that.
“I do have an issue with so much now being asked from the referee. They are juggling more balls and not to be disparaging to referees at club level but when it is so difficult to get them, some aren’t fit enough. They aren’t attuned enough.
“It’s very difficult to bring in a swad of new rules and expect them to enforce them. They will do their best and like us mistakes will be made. There will be a lot of frustration in the first year.
“Possibly, everything will bed down over time but when referees aren’t being trained to a high standard, it looks like it’s going to be a difficult year. There is going to be a lot of frustration on the sidelines, in the crowds.”
McEntee fears a misinterpretation of the rule changes could have an impact on the outcome of the Allianz Leagues, which now have a major bearing on the composition of the Sam Maguire Cup.
“At county level, people won’t be just sitting down to see how they play to these rules, they’ll be thinking how to exploit them and get some advantage here and there. That’s only natural. That’s what they are expected to do at such a high level.
“There are such big prizes like getting into Division 1 and in Division 2 getting into the Sam Maguire early in the season, and it’s been so tight for counties in recent years that with these new rules it will be very hard for them to accept some of the decisions that are going to be made.
“If something is done wrong from an officiating point of view, is there any recourse? The GAA haven’t been very good at that. Not to pick on the referee but if a key decision, an obvious error with these new rules, meant one team lost or won, were relegated, promoted or not, what happens? Is it significant enough for the game to be replayed?”
Crossmaglen Rangers man McEntee was surprised Special Congress delegates in Croke Park last month voted for the experimental rule changes to apply across the board from late January instead of at inter-county level only.
“I was alarmed at them coming into club level straight away and they can come in all the way down to U14. I can understand why they did it but some of these rules are going to be changed, possibly removed.
“Club level is not the place to trial rules. These are going to change the game a lot and club football might not be able to adapt to that change. I think it’s a bit unfair that the rules will quite possibly change again in six or 12 months.
“The rules need to settle before they are applied at club level. In the interprovincial games, there were more high-speed runs than in ordinary championship matches. Club players need time to prepare for that.”