BBC coverage discussed that at half time and they had a referee on their panel. He said it looked like the 2nd hop came off the kerry players foot and because he then regathered the ball, it was a solo and therefore legit.Well said, Purple
The work-rate, the movement off the ball, the tackling, the turn-overs, etc. - all performed with ferocious intensity but also in, as you say, a very sporting way.
One technical point regarding the rules that I'm struggling with. When you go to the GAA rule book, I'm just not sure if Geaney's double hop before his goal should have been permitted. [This Kerry attack deserved a goal for Clifford's pass alone! That said, I didn't stop me teasing some Kerry lads about the double-hop yesterday evening!] Not for the first time, the GAA rule book is open to interpretation. What I'm wondering is whether there is some set of Guidance Notes for referees in relation to grey areas and whether these GN are publicly available.
1. Goal should have been disallowed and a free awarded to Dublin. (Ref probably missed this in the excitement etc). Does the GAA need VAR?).Thanks thedaddyman,
Do we agree that the second bounce hit the ground first and then the foot on its return journey to the hands?
If yes, then it's not a solo - officially labelled a toe-tap and expressly defined as "to release the ball from the hand(s) to the foot and kick it back into the hand(s)."
1. Goal should have been disallowed and a free awarded to Dublin. (Ref probably missed this in the excitement etc). Does the GAA need VAR?).
Hi Jimmy, Easy Answer and the situation is clear:- In Gaelic Football a player may hop the ball once and then if he/she wishes to retain the ball it must go directly to toe before handling again. I don't have the rule book on me. There is no ambiguity here the ball was hopped once and then an effort was made to hop the ball twice. The attacker got lucky and on 2nd bounce he "toed" the ball to his hands and retained unfair possession. In the speed and confusion and excitement of things the referee missed the 2nd bounce (referees are human). Also, the spirit of the one hop was breached and a free to Dublin would have been the correct decision. Just to add if the ball rolled away from the attacker he would have been entitled to lift the ball again, but again he was in possession of the ball and did hop it a 2nd time in the one possession. Apologies for not being able to supply specific details from the Gaelic Football Rule Book.Hi Leper,
Don't get me wrong, I took a similarly dogmatic approach when taking the Micheál out of a few Kerry lads the other night. However, my belief is that the rule book is unclear - why are you so adamant that it was a free out. In answering what I'm looking for is what specific rule in the GAA handbook is breached? If no rule is breached, then the ref got it right on the day.
Hopping is only referred to in the hurling rules, in the football rules they refer to bouncing, defined as playing the ball against the ground and catching it on its return.There is no ambiguity here the ball was hopped once and then an effort was made to hop the ball twice.