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Pat Spillane's Three Proposals To Save Gaelic Football Are Extreme But Interesting

Pat Spillane's Three Proposals To Save Gaelic Football Are Extreme But Interesting
Lee Costello
By Lee Costello
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Pretty much everyone has had their say on the new proposed rules that could be introduced to Gaelic football in 2025, so of course Pat Spillane is going to throw his hat into the ring.

The Kerry legend was a pundit on The Sunday Game for over 30 years and has never been shy about sharing his point of view, so now that the sport is on the brink of making its most seismic changes yet, Spillane is going to have his say.

Firstly, the eight time All-Ireland winner agrees with most of the proposals, in particular the idea of keeping three players up front, and three players back, because that will create more space and encourage kick passing.

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However, the ex-pundit has a few suggestions of his own, and although they are extreme, they are interesting.

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"People will ask: have I any proposals? I have three", Spillane wrote in his Sunday World column.

"The whole obsession about kickouts, I don’t get it. It has become a huge focus of game analysis and coaching. But I just feel it’s a skill that doesn’t add anything to the game.

"Once the ball goes dead the goalie should be allowed kick it out of the hand. That will keep the game flowing and won’t allow the opposition to set up. Less dead time, more ball-in-play time.

"Secondly, I would allow the pick-up straight off the ground. I don’t think it is a skill that adds anything to the game and it actually contributes to more fouling.

"Thirdly, a shot clock. How often in championships in recent years are we watching long spells of the ball being tediously retained? I would introduce a shot clock of one minute.

"People don’t want to watch long, dreary possession plays."

There is a fear that although a lot of the proposed changes could make the game better, it might be a case of bringing in too many too soon.

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Tyrone legend Peter Canavan made this point on The Sunday Game when the new rules were first announced, so it might be a case of see how Jim Gavin's Taskforce get on first before exploring any further changes, like Spillane's three proposals.

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