Some referees are not ready for the change of rules in Gaelic football asserts one match official

"We're not there yet. In some ways the work only starts now," said Jim Gavin after the recommendations his Football Review Committee had made regarding the rule changes to Gaelic football received a big vote of support from delegates at a Special Congress at Croke Park on Saturday.

The former Dublin manager was referring to the fact that the rules had to be "road tested" in competitive games.

The handful of people who made their way to the home of Donaghmore/Ashbourne on Friday night had another glimpse of how the rules will mean for the game when the Meath Club Selection team played the Regional Green Stars Selection under the lights at the venue.

The game was refereed by Liam Reddy, a well-known and experienced match official and when he was contacted by the Meath Chronicle on Saturday soon after the Special Congress had voted in the rules, he expressed his surprise that the proposed measures had been passed by a landslide.

He was particularly surprised that the rules would be "universally" applied both at club and inter-county levels from the new year on.

Reddy is in support of the new rules, especially the solo and go. He, like everybody with even a passing interest in Gaelic football, accepts that something needed to be done. However he does see problems on the horizon when it comes to how the rules are going to be implemented, particularly at the lower levels of the game.

"My biggest concern now is how it's going to be policed, particularly regards to officials and that. I know inter-county games won't a problem but when you go to club matches you need proper lines people. You can get one from each of the clubs involved but I can't see somebody calling their own people as offside in regards to the rule which states each team must keep three players, at least, in each half at all times."

On Friday night Reddy had to make a call on the "offside rule" when a Meath Club Selection player strayed a metre or two over the line leaving just two of his colleagues in the opposition half. Immediately Reddy was notified by his vigilant, and only, linesman on duty - Stephen Cregan from the Dunshaughlin club. The referee than gave a 13-metre free to the Regional Green Stars as the rules dictate. The law was implemented.

Reddy wonders what's going to transpire when a match official is in charge of a lower level league or championship club game and there's no lines people to offer guidance.

Reddy asserts that another big problem among referees is that the vast majority of them haven't had any experience of taking charge of games with the new rules. That reality leaves them exposed at club level. It could even compel some to give up refereeing, he adds.

"In in the new year when texts are sent out for a game I think a lot of them might decline, unless they (the authorities) do something serious in the meantime and arrange challenge games or something. Some might step away from from adult games or just concentrate on the under-age."

In recent regional football games in Meath the point from outside the 40-metre arc wasn't employed but the rule did apply in Friday night's exhibition at Ashbourne. There too Reddy foresees problems in the less high-profile club games where there might only be one match official.

"If a referee is not up, right up, with the play you will not see the line (the 40m arc). A player might kick a point just outside the line but what happens if he then steps inside the arc. Unless a match official is right there he's going to have to deal with arguments from players."

The match on Friday night included many of the top players in the county. The manager of the Meath Club Select team was Robbie Brennan while John McCarthy took charge of the Regional Green Stars who ended up winning, 1-16 to 0-11.

Curraha's Diarmuid Moriarty's did his cause on the Meath front no harm with a fine display topped off by 1-5, including two points scored when he lofted over from outside the arc. Thomas O'Reilly and Luke Mitchell also contributed 10 points between them to the Meath Club Selection. Both players are sure to be part of Brennan's plans when the NFL gets underway.

Dunshaughlin pair Conor Grey and Charlie O'Connor have had long seasons with their clubs and they both went off with knocks. Manager Brennan will also be hoping they will be ready for a 2025 Gaelic football season that will be like no other.

Meath Regional Green Stars panel - Dary Hutchinson; Dylan Garrigan, Evan Quinn, Adam Mudoon; Killian Smyth, Darren Brennan (0-1), Aodhan Mallon (0-1); Oran Mulvaney, Rian McConnell (0-2); Tom Bowden, Alan Bowden (0-2), Danny Dixon (0-2); Adam Kelly (0-3), Diarmuid Moriarty (1-5 one free), Adam Tuite. Other selected panelists - Hughie Corcoran, Adam Quinn, Con Smith, Adam Tuite, Colm Regan, Ryan Lynch, Sean Emmanuel, Daire Shine, Eoin Briody, Josh Harford.

Meath Club Selection - Sean Muddiman; Jordon Muldoon, Shane Glynn, Oran Smullen; Eamonn Wallace, Thomas McGovern, Michael Murphy; Charlie O'Connor, Conor Grey; Darragh McGovern, James McEntee, Jason Scully; Luke Mitchell (0-3 one 45), Thomas O'Reilly (0-7 four frees), Gary Breslin. Subs - Saran O Fionnagain (0-1), Liam Stafford, Mark Furlong, Conor Quigley, Dominic Yorke.