Peter Canavan is unhappy with modern Gaelic football as a spectacle, with the ex-Tyrone player putting a lot of it down to coaches sacrificing style of play in order to achieve results.
Canavan was part of the RTÉ Sport panel for the Ulster SFC quarter-final between Trillick and Crossmaglen last Saturday, and took park in a debate with current Armagh goalkeeper Ethan Rafferty over what rules changes are needed for the future of Gaelic football.
A focus on possession and defensive tactics has resulted in disquiet from some observers in recent weeks, and Canavan agrees that the standard of play for an spectator leaves a lot to be desired, amid the debate over potential rule changes.
"I don't think we are in a good place," said the two-time All-Ireland winner. "When I was a player, it use to irk me when I was listening to commentators and they were saying 'football back in the day was a lot better.'
"I’m not one to be making rash statements but I think if we don't act now... we’ve had so many poor games at county level and at club level.
"Back in the 70s and 80s, you had a lot of poor games but it was down to maybe poor skill level, you had corner-backs who all they could do was mark and get the ball and get rid of it.
"Now, the skill level of players has never been better. The quality of football when it is played right is absolutely brilliant but such is the state of play that coaches now can play in a way to make the game really unattractive, if they choose to do that.
"I’m not blaming coaches for that. Their main job is the get the best out of players and to win. As a result of that, they can set it up and make the game as a spectacle appalling at times and it’s putting a lot of people off watching the game.
"Unfortunately, it may be putting some youngsters off playing the game as well and that’s something we don’t want to see. Yeah, we’re getting good games but I think we’re at the stage now where the powers that be are going to have to address it and do something about it.
"I know there was a think-tank appointed a few months back, brilliant people on it, Colm O'Rourke, Kevin McStay, Enda McGinley, Michael Murphy, really good people in the game who know the game inside out.
"So I think they are going to collate a lot of information and bring it forward on the back of that I would like to think that there's going to be some meaningful rule changes in the months to come."
"It’s probably the luxury of football now that most games are televised, you're seeing more matches and you're gonna get warts and all," said Rafferty.
"I suppose it's great that these games are on TV but you want the standards to be a lot higher."
Much of the debate over tactics has been centred around the trend of goalkeepers coming out and essentially playing as a 15th outfielder, and Canavan pointed to the man beside him as an example of this.
"A lot of the teams now are very much aware of keeping possession and a lot of the negative style of play is as a result of boys like Ethan coming out of their goals," he told Damian Lawlor.
"The time was that the goalkeeper stayed there and it was man for man out on the pitch. Now, so many game plans are based on the goalkeeper coming out and being the extra man, and as a result of that it's easier for a lot of teams maybe to sit back.
"It's inevitable that there’s going to be a lot of bodies back in a defensive position, well you can't kick the ball in there because you're gonna turn it over, so as a result of that there's a lot of lateral passing.
"One team is going to have a spare man, so in Armagh’s case, Armagh are one of the teams that are very proactive with the goalkeeper, and bear in mind Ethan is very comfortable out there.
"A lot of teams just want to keep their goalkeeper coming in as a spare man just to keep the ball moving, so it’s very hard for forwards to push up when you know that the team you’re playing against has got that extra man.
"So a lot of teams are more inclined to sit back, give them the ball in their own half and try and do their defending in twos and threes further back on the pitch."
"I suppose that's how teams are using the goalkeepers now," added Rafferty.
"If you’re kicking it back to them and it slows up play, it’s probably not ideal, but we would try to maybe use it as an overlap to try and get forward.
"It’s how you often you use it. If you have three or four plays in a row, players are going to get tired and if you have to use the goalkeeper as a rest period then that’s grand but if you’re using it three or four times in a row and slowing up the play, I suppose it's not going make for great watching.
"But if it means your team can hold on to the ball three or four minutes and get a score then that's what you want to be doing."
Both pundits went on to suggest rules changes that they feel the GAA standing committee could make in order to fix perceived problems with the current style of play in Gaelic football.
"There are a number of things that I would like to see trialled," said Canavan.
"You have to bear in mind that if everything is put in place, coaches are going to find out a way to counteract that and you're also have to bear in mind that if you're implementing a rule at inter-county level, how can you that be implemented at club level, which is completely different.
"But I would like to see a trial whereby you can't, once the ball crosses the 45, kick it back or pass it back towards your own half .
"You have to come forward and if that doesn't work, the final solution would be that you have to insist that a team keeps a certain number of players inside the oppositions 45. That would be easy to implement at inter-county level but much more difficult at club.
"I do quite like that idea of maybe a couple of players in your own half as you go forward but the hard thing is going to be implement up in the lower stages," Rafferty agreed.
"It might give me less of a job going forward but if it's myself and maybe two other players, that's grand. Then again, you're maybe sitting on the 45-yard line waiting for someone to come back to let you away.
"It depends what corner-back, if he’s as good as Aidan Forker you want him up the field, so it's a tricky one. I'm just glad I'm not in that seat trying to figure it out."
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