Evans wants handpass rule

by Dave Maher , 01 January 2012

Tipperary manager John Evans believes that a rule should be introduced to curtail handpassing in football.


The GAA has been discussing the possibility of bringing in a law to limit the number of consecutive offloads with the hand that a team is allowed to make before they are forced to kick the ball. Evans would support such a move.

"Football is a kicking game, a catching game, and we are seeing nothing remotely like what the spectator is looking for," he told the Irish Independent.

"Defensive games can be very intriguing but they are not Gaelic football. It is not a game of football.

"I would have to put my hand up and say maybe I have been naïve but I would be encouraging my team to kick the ball because it is faster. Having said that now, I have been in a lot of finals and had a lot of success. So what I have been advocating has not been bad either.

"It (kicking) has to be accurate, but it's faster - more devastating to the opposition. However, if too many are behind the ball that game cannot be played. I'd allow three handpasses up to the 50-yard line and three more inside the half, with no curtailment between the two 50s. It would make backs get rid of the ball quicker and force forwards to kick more on the other side."

In the 2011 All-Ireland final, 182 of Kerry's 233 passes were made with the hand. Dublin, meanwhile, made 103 handpasses out a total of 166.

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