Yahoo Sports New '12th man' rule killing the game - Derry boss Tally
Derry boss Paddy Tally says Gaelic football's new rule for goalkeepers is "killing the game" after his side fell to Tyrone in Saturday's Division One encounter at Healy Park.
One of the new rule 'enhancements' designed by the Football Review Committee (FRC) allows goalkeepers to create an overload in the opposition's half.
Teams must keep three outfield players in each half of the pitch, meaning an advancing goalkeeper can make it 12v11 for the attacking side.
This was used to great effect by Tyrone on Saturday when keeper Niall Morgan's pass to Ciaran Daly led to Peter Teague's second-half goal as the Red Hands won 2-13 to 1-9.
"The 12th man is killing the game. It's as simple as that," said Tally, who tasted defeat in his first competitive game since succeeding Mickey Harte as Derry boss.
"That is no slight on any particular goalkeeper. Niall (Morgan) is a fantastic 'keeper but it doesn't make any sense.
"You wanted one-to-one battles and there were periods in that game today when the ball was just going back and forth across the field for two, three minutes at a time.
"It's just a pointless rule. It doesn't make any sense that you are now at the stage where it is nearly unfair to 11 versus 11, to add in a 12th. It just doesn't make any sense. The goalkeeper contributing and coming up the field, it is something we have to look at."
Tally was also unimpressed by the new 50-metre advancement rule. This rule allows the referee to move the ball forward 50 metres if a player takes exception to his decision or if a player does not hand over the ball after conceding a free.
"It doesn't seem natural," argued Tally.
"I think it's a very draconian punishment for something so simple at times.
"There was one there, I don't know if the ball was even touched on the ground and knocked away, the players weren't too sure what it was for, and it was brought up 50m so I think it's a hard one on players."
Asked for his take on the goalkeeper rule, Tyrone boss Malachy O'Rourke said "there was a couple of ways to look" at it.
"It was always there, the goalkeeper could always come out. Last year it was 15 versus 14, so it's exactly the same thing only there's less numbers up there," said O'Rourke, who had been a member of the FRC before stepping down to focus on his duties with Tyrone.
"I just do think that if you start curtailing the goalkeeper too much, you'll lose then goalkeepers. Obviously I was part of the committee that made the rules, and we just felt the goalkeeper in his own defence, getting the ball too much, led to an awful lot of possession play and a team couldn't really push up.
"Whereas at least when he's coming across the halfway line, he's in a more advanced position, it's an attacking opportunity, but there's a lot of risk in it as well. You saw it today, if the ball breaks down, you have to get back.
"From our point of view, we just go with whatever's there at the minute and try to play it as best we can."
