Jack O'Connor Calls On GAA To Change 'Ridiculous' Rule After Its Impact In Cork Vs Kerry

Kerry claimed their second victory of the All-Ireland series yesterday, rallying after a poor first half performance to claim a convincing win over Cork at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

Jack O'Connor's side struggled to put their stamp on the game in the opening half, with Cork taking advantage of a poor showing from their opponents to lead by three points at the break. However, a blitz after halftime from Kerry would see them win comfortably in the end.

While this was an important win for The Kingdom, their manager was not pleased with one aspect of the game.

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Now in the thick of the championship, it is fair to say that teams have grown accustomed to the majority of the new rules that were introduced to Gaelic football for 2025.

In saying that, there is one particular law that cause a few issues in yesterday's GAA game between Cork and Kerry.

The rule in question allows referees to move the ball forward 50 metres if a player challenged within four metres of winning a mark from a kickout. This law was enforced on a number of occasions at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, leading to some interesting comments from Jack O'Connor after the game.

Speaking after Kerry's victory, he said that the rule being applied in relation to the impeding players after claiming a mark is something that needs to be looked at moving forward.

This was never what the rule was brought in for. They are going to have to tidy this up.

Half the time the referee blows the whistle and neither team knows who the free is for. How are you supposed to get out of the way if you think the free is for you? This is something that will have to be addressed.

It has gone to ridiculous proportions, the ball must have been moved forward by the referee over ten times today.

In one instance, Briain O Beaglaoich was in the process of giving the ball back and he was penalised 50m! It has gone to a ridiculous stage, and I am not really blaming the referees. I felt all along this was going to cause problems and it certainly has.

A fella contesting the ball at midfield can’t just disappear. You’re battling for the ball, and it’s not like you can be cool, calm and collected inside in the middle of a gang of men, then you’re supposed to have a clear enough head to decide which was the free is going and then you are meant to disappear.

That rule has to be tidied up, it’s ridiculous.

This rule can certainly appear harsh at times, with players well within their rights to contest a kickout in the middle of the field. Of course, the Football Rules Committee would point out that it was introduced in order to cut down on cynical play in GAA games.

Kerry will be thankful that it did not impact them on this occasion, with the Munster side now in a prime position to secure their place in the All-Ireland quarter-finals.