Armagh goalkeeper Ethan Rafferty believes the continuous changing of rules in Gaelic football is creating uncertainty for players and officials alike.
Rafferty played a crucial role in his side's Allianz Division 1 victory over Dublin – his pinged pass into team-mate Barry McCambridge set the full-back on his way to raising a green flag and laying the foundation for an eight-point victory at Box-It Athletic Grounds.
Rafferty looked as composed as ever in an attacking sense, but both he and his Dublin counterpart Evan Comerford fell foul of the recent guideline that goalkeepers have 20 seconds to get their restarts away.
That particular rule wasn’t there from the outset of the league, which saw a raft of new rule enhancements from the Football Rules Committee (FRC) that are still being bedded in.
13Min: Armagh 1-06 Dublin 0-00
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Barry McCambridge comes up trumps in the 13th minute and finds the net.
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With five rounds of the league completed and 80 games to pore over, the FRC will announce on Monday tweaks to the current rules based on evidence and feedback.
Speaking to RTÉ Sport after the win over Dublin, Rafferty said teams are differing in their use of the goalkeeper in the new football landscape.
"I didn’t see a whole pile wrong with it last year," he said. "Some teams are using it (roving goalkeeper) for slowing it down, other teams are using it to their advantage. It might appeal to teams to use it that way."
Rafferty says the quantity of new rules is hard to manage for all concerned, and is not impressed by the 20-second rule.
"It’s that uncertainty. The rules changed again with the 20-second rule. It was harsh on Evan, and in the second half I felt it was harsh on myself.
"It’s the uncertainty. You are going into a game each week and you have no clue what’s coming around the corner.
"We (Armagh) are using it to try and play more advantageous football, to transition a lot quicker. There is a lot coming down the train track for players and referees and I think it is a lot at one time."
FT: Armagh 1-20 Dublin 1-12
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Ethan Rafferty gets an opportunity to speak with FRC member Peter Canavan about his concerns for goalkeepers. 'I could be out of a job tomorrow' he says.
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With FRC member Peter Canavan alongside the goalkeeper and agreeing with the sentiment - "20 seconds is too harsh" - it seems plausible that the rule could be one of those up for discussion by the Jim Gavin-led committee.
Armagh simply dismantled the Dublin kickout in the opening half, while Rafferty mixed up his own restarts, combining long kicks with going relatively short to the edge of the arc to his nearest defenders.
The rules around the kickout make it a challenging environment for the men between the posts, the Grange man says.
"It’s difficult. If we’re kicking it long, it’s the boys (outfield) job to get it, so it’s taking the arc out of it really for the kickout.
"You are either kicking it long, or we got a good few on the right of the arc. It’s really taking the skill out of the kickout."
