JIM McGuinness believes that the proposed new rules for Gaelic football will speed the game up “by a multiple of what it was” if Special Congress opts to vote them in this weekend.
In a rare in-depth interview with The Irish News that will be published this weekend, the Donegal manager says that while he “doesn’t care” whether they are brought in or not, the adjustments that are on the table would bring “a lot of changes tactically”.
McGuinness believes that the demands on middle-eight players will grow even further and suggested that the GAA might need to look at how many subs are allowed, with players “under pressure to finish games, even.”
“I think there’s a lot of changes coming tactically,” he said.
“The game’s gonna speed up a multiple of what it was if the rules come in. I think the middle-eight will be under a lot of pressure to finish games, even.
“You’re gonna have to have a certain type of athlete as well as a footballer. You could be a brilliant footballer and not be the best athlete, or coming to the end of your days, I think that will be a luxury.
“I think you’re gonna have to be an exceptional player not to get around the pitch as a middle-eight player if the rules do come in. It’s gonna be very challenging and demanding.
“We saw even in the Railway Cup, it’s a transitional game more and when teams did get set up, it’s difficult to stem the tide.
“Where you’re looking at two or two-and-a-half minutes last year, let’s not do anything rash, move them, wait for that moment – really you don’t have to do that now. A switch of play and you have two v two on the far side, just by virtue of having to push nine into the first side of the pitch.
“You’re defending with 15 when you’re defending high, whereas if you let it into your half, you’re defending with 11. That’s gonna make it faster.
“Fifteen men going high have a better chance of keeping the ball because they have a better chance than the 14 in an 11v12 in the other half of the pitch.”
McGuinness and his fellow inter-county managers took part in a three-hour Zoom call with members of the Football Review Committee, of which Michael Murphy was a member.
The call was led by FRC chairman Jim Gavin and McGuinness admits he was impressed by the level of thought that had gone into the body’s work and their attempts to offset unintended consequences arising from any rule changes.
“A lot of people on the call had a lot of opinions, a lot of people were asking questions, but a lot of those questions could be answered through logic and pragmatism. That, I think, gave people a good bit of heart.
“It doesn’t bother me either way [whether the rules are passed], that’s genuine. You have to coach to the rules, whatever the rules are. For all the conspiracy theories, you don’t have any control over that. You have to go with it. Whatever comes in, comes in.
“You have to take a step back and look at the rules, look at your squad and what you have at your disposal and how you can manipulate tactically to your advantage.”
McGuinness also confirmed that Michael Murphy’s return to playing next year is not dependent on the new rules being brought in.
Murphy told The Irish News in the summer that he no longer had the energy playing demanded and that while he “could probably be there and tick the box, you need to colour in the box.”
The suggestion was that his return would be as an out-and-out full-forward in a new-look game that would see teams have to keep three players in the opposition’s half, while the defending team must also keep three men back.
“No, it’s not dependent on anything,” said McGuinness.
“The energy levels are the most important thing. The break probably allowed him to re-evaluate.
“He was one of the best players in the club championship and when you have a player going well in the club championship, it’s kinda remiss of you as a manager not to ask that question.
“He took a bit of time to make the decision, got himself into good shape in that period before telling me he was gonna come back.
“There was probably a period where he was trying to identify himself the level that was required and the level he can get to, and when the training starts, can you move forward from there.”