Hurling - The Hand Pass Rule - a thread

The use of the arm to drag, clothes-line, pull, reef, haul, tug, yank needs to be called as the foul it is. The handpassing isn’t the biggest issue at all

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Having just watched back the game, I can agree.

Brendan Cummins does not seem to know the rules, lauding Peter duggan for a forearm block while calling the same as a free against Limerick.
He will be a great selection to be the next tipp manager.

Colm Lyons was very sharp on off the ball.play but missed a bad blindside hit by Conor cleary to the back of Shane O’Brien.

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I noticed that. “You can’t fault the technique” he said or words to similar effect.

Oft said, but the best teams always play on the edge of over aggression/fouling and that intensity is but one factor in many that sets them above their peers.

Limerick have a tackle that I dont see many others do, its a big stiff arm shot to the middle part of the body, so not a clothesline that hits head high, but lower down. Cian Lynch is very good at it, he absolutely hops of lads, and quite often they use the hand holding the hurling, not to strike them with the hurl, but its not half as obvious if you use the hand with the hurl to do it, rather than the spare arm. I’d say multiple hits like that really take the wind out of the opponents. Its a clear free, but its also one that would rarely be blown unless they have more than one player coming in or if the hit goes a little high or from too far a distance. It also takes serious physical strength to hit the way they do, seriously fit team.

And as the lads just said above, that Peter Duggan one was the same, just totally went through Byrnes

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That’s the very one.

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In my opinion, the one rule that is just not policed well is steps. And I would have sympathy for refs because it’s fucking hard to be counting exact steps when you’re trying to look at everything else too. Generally what happens is that you can take as many as you like until you hesitate or until someone shouts steps and then you get maybe one more.

The pulling, dragging, etc. arises from this. It is very very hard to stop someone who doesn’t play the ball on their hurley. A lot of fouls by defenders start as legal attempts to prevent a forward from advancing (generally you advise players to maybe back off a step or two while squaring their body up directly with the player which means you should be able to attack the ball once the try to play it) but if the forward just keeps on going and going, what are you supposed to do?

As I’ve said I’d have no issue with changing the handpass rule but I think it would have to be accompanied by a clampdown on steps.

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Funnily enough this was big problem in football 20 years back when there was endless pulling and dragging by defender on ball carrier. It has been referred and coached out. Hurling could go do similar.

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I think a lad being pulled and dragged is let take the steps rather than blowing the pulling and dragging. But yeah the lack of enforcement of the two is connected.

If rules are not being enforced or there is a view the game needs to evolve just change them so there’s consistency. What we have now is a bit of a mess and if it continues the game will become a series of rucks and mauls at least until teams tire around 50 minutes.

Yeah it was a big issue for a while. “The lack of any defined tackle in Gaelic football” was referred to at the time when there was one but it wasn’t reffed. If you drag in football the way the hurlers do it’s blown up straight away now so it doesn’t happen too often.

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TJ Reid got a couple of late frees against Wexford in this manner. He ran about 6 or 7 steps before being about to be tackled, and right on the cusp of a ref blowing (or not as they usually dont), he just collapses into the defender and manufactures the free. It needs refs to be stricter on the steps because they take too much running into the tackle. Defenders may also need to be cleverer and not pull and drag and let them over carry, but like with Reid, many of them either fall over or ala Shane O Donnell throw their arms up in the air and get called for a high tackle instead.

Yes. I do think that is the biggest issue for the game.
Handoassing is only a by-product.

Take the hit by Rogers on Nicky Quaid as he brought out the ball from his save. That is a straightforward yellow.in football. And rightly so. (Not always given of course…)

In football you are coached to use a flat palm to slow the player in possession with flexed arms. It does help to have two hands free to do so. Then you tackle when the opponent plays the ball. There is a lesson in that. Not exactly the same but still a lesson.

Sure clare are at it all the time. SOD, 20 steps, drops the head and charges, falls over, free in.

Shane with ball in hand…

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Ah yeah but they havent won enough to bother the Tippos or Carkies

Be nice to see his horizontal v vertical stats for a game

They wont even retain the beat limerick cup this year

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Is it a free? Are you calling it a push, or an attempt a hold? I don’t think it’s either and as long as the arm doesn’t wrap or stay there too long it’s a well coached tackle

Cian got blown for it for the free that led to the Duggan goal

Its more the striking element of it. Like i said, its rarely going to be ever called, but its basically a low level clothesline tackle. You could call it a charge or a hold or the ever vague “rough play”. But I dont disagree with your point, its a well coached tactic that exploits the vague tackle rule that gives opponents a right dunt and can get away with it at the same time.

But as you know a strike is a red and the rule certainly wasn’t meant for this. A charge is kind of allowed if its on the ball carrier I think? But yes it exploits the grey area. Just a very well coached tackle Imo.

Steps and throws are a bigger issue, we need three officials for that. Just put the linesmen inside either 40.