GAA trial revolutionary new hand pass rule – and how other rule changes went down with fans

More changes could be imminent after two-point arc revolution

With nearly 500 hand passes in Sunday's All-Ireland SFC final between Donegal and Kerry, the GAA also trialled a new rule to combat excessive use as Fingallians took on Round Towers in Abbotstown.

The new rule would see players penalised for two consecutive hand passes, meaning they must produce a kick pass after every hand pass.

The number of hand passes has been a recurring issue for the GAA down through the years and has gone in and out of fashion since the 1940s.

Though this isn't the first time this type of hand pass rule has been trialled, the GAA and Jim Gavin seem to be in the mood to accelerate the spectacle of the game following the revolutionary introduction of the two-point arc for 2025.

SportsJOE spoke with Joseph Nugent, a member of the executive at Fingallians and Dublin fan who was at the Sandbox match on Wednesday, for the inside track on how the new rules were received by players, coaches, referees and spectators.

Hand pass rule requires further investigation

"They tried a new rule on passing," Nugent said. "So a kick pass had to follow a hand pass. There were a couple of times in the game where the referee had to blow up for infringements on that. It’s hard to judge so early, because it's alien to what people are used to, but I think that definitely merits further examination.

"It was an interesting experience. It did mean the ball moved differently, unquestionably. I think it would be worth looking at further in sandbox games.

"This, rather than maybe three hand passes followed by a kick pass being the rule, made it easier for referees to spot infringements as they didn’t need to count."

Back-forth rule difficult on smaller pitches

"It was a very big pitch," added Nugent. "So things like the back pass rule [team can't go back into their own half after crossing halfway] worked well there, but I wonder how well it would work in a tighter pitch, say Parnell Park, for example, a much tighter pitch.

"The rule did mean that it was forced you to go forward, which is unquestionably positive, The other team were then required almost to come out and play a bit. I think that was a positive development.

"I can see though, in a tighter pitch, where you're struggling to move forward, because just the pressure that's put on you, that might have an impact. So just to see how that would play out will be interesting, as you just don't have the same amount of space available. But generally, I thought it was certainly one of the better rules that they looked at. 

"One part of the back pass rule that I think might be a challenge is that in club level, the referee is a slight distance away to see whether ball has crossed the half or not. If you have umpires up the field again, it's very difficult for them to see that. I do think to referee it, that part might be a challenge. But I don’t think the referees on the night missed anything, they were well in control."

Four-point goal to reverse positives of two-point arc?

"For the entirety of the game, nobody attempted a two-point shot, other than frees. 

"I think the value of the four-point goal to me looked as if it was having a tangible difference, and people certainly went for those goals. 

"There was no wind, it was calm conditions, but if that was a windy pitch somewhere, and if somebody got off to a big lead and you were playing a full 30, 35 minutes against the wind, the game could almost be over at half-time. It's a big thing to try and pull back. So I just wondered about that. 

"Whether the game would benefit from four quarters with, team swapping over on the quarter, maybe that might be a way to level that out a bit. But the four-point goal definitely had the tangible difference to the performance."