Donegal veteran forward Paddy McBrearty has warned that big games could be decided in a split second if players and teams don’t cope quickly enough with the new football rules.
The changes will take effect when the League action begins this weekend and understanding of them and discipline will be key, especially with teams having to keep three men inside the opposition half and also in danger of conceding a 13-metre free for any show of dissent.
“The penalties are huge,’’ admitted McBrearty, who will be part of the Donegal squad travelling to Killarney to face Kerry on Sunday
‘‘You are immediately conceding a point for any dissent. It’s something a lot of sides are having difficulty with right now. Every training game and challenge game we’re seeing it.
“I said to Oisin Gallen that a big championship game or two is going to be decided on something like that.
“You could be drawing a game, there’s a turnover and someone instinctively is desperately trying to get back and it’ll be deemed that there’s a numerical advantage. It could cost you big time.
“I’ve no doubt there will be big games decided on it. But those are the rules and it’s the same for everyone.
“There are some grey areas yet and I’ve no doubt supporters and even some of the players, will be scratching their heads early on.
“We’ve had a referee in here every single night so we’re just trying our best to get as familiar with it all as much as possible. It could well be a long League with a lot of talking points.”
Asked how he was personally adapting to the new rules, the Kilcar ace said: “There’s arguments, discussions every night at training and there are certain things you can pick up on in a challenge game or in training, there is new stuff that we are seeing for the first time and referees are seeing for the first time.
“And the games stops sometime and we are asking, what can we do here.
“It will be three or four games at least before everyone gets used to it. It will be a whole new game but one we are all looking forward to.”
While McBrearty feels that changes were needed, he does not believe they were needed to “the extent they went.”
“I have different theories on it, like 13-a-side, but it could yet turn out to be brilliant but we won’t find out until the next four weeks or so.
“People wanted a lot more scores and I think that will be the case. It will be about who is ahead of the rules and who can take advantage of them will profit.”
As a corner-forward, McBrearty does welcome the fact that he will be nearer the scoring zone and that there will not be as much tracking back to defence.
It also gives Donegal the chance to have the likes of McBrearty, the returned Michael Murphy and Oisin Gallen deep in the scoring zone.
And, of course, Kerry will be keen to have David Clifford and maybe Paudie Clifford inside their scoring zone, which could make for a scoring blitz.
“Well you can still go back and if there is a pointy finger you will be told to go back.
“But one of the main things about the game is having the three up and you will have to go back maybe two or three times in the game but you will be up the far side of the field for the vast majority of the game.”
McBrearty agrees that corner-forwards were using up a lot of their energy going back up the field.
“Yes I think so, you are on the field as a corner-forward to score and you are in the opposition’s 45 most of the time and that was one of the main things this committee saw that needed to be changed, and three up is going have a big bearing on the game.”
