The really high-tech solutions for persistent fouling, Donegal’s passing stats are intriguing and the lure of the Dubs beats all.
So the lads at HQ have finally discovered computers
You may find this hard to believe but the big news in GAA today is that somebody in Croke Park has decided to start writing down the number of yellow cards issued in games. Yes, somebody in the IT department at Croker has finally splashed out on a programme to keep track of who is getting booked in each game.
The GAA are to introduce ‘competitions management software’ that will register each booking to keep track of repeat offenders. It is seen as the first step in rooting out those who cynically foul but escape punishment, as cumulative bans don’t exist just yet.
“There is a desire there to do something about repeat yellow cards and I’d say it is something we will see in the foreseeable future,” said the GAA’s director of games and player welfare, Fergal McGill, in today’s Irish Independent.
Call us cynical but we thought this could be done with a pen and paper, or, if you want to get really high tech, an Excel spreadsheet. Anyway, it is being rolled out in every county bar Cork and Dublin (due to the volume of games) but the bans, if and when a code is agreed, will be trialled initially at inter-county level.
When it is it will be bad news for Laois as they have two players who have accumulated four cards in five games this year so far, John O’Loughlin and Kevin Meaney. Under the current system, they are free to play against Dublin. Under the new high-tech world that is coming, they would surely be banned, or fouling a lot less.
Stats a fact
We came across an interesting nugget today by the always informative @gaelicstats. They have looked at Donegal and while the general consensus by all, this writer included, is that Donegal are a more free-flowing team this term to last, the numbers prove otherwise.
Last year, at the quarter-final stage, Donegal had racked up 548 hand passes. This year the total is 574, a figure that would put traditionalists into apoplexy.
Add to that the fact that Jim McGuinness’ side are kick passing the ball even less, 204 this year compared to 206 last, and it seems that they might appear to be easier on the eye, but the tactics remain the same
Big Blue
RTE had the pick of the football Qualifiers this weekend. Did they go with the plum tie, Donegal v Kerry? No, they went for the one that looks the most one-sided, Dublin v Laois, on Saturday night. Do RTE like broadcasting vicious beatdowns? No, it is all a number game.
The fact is Dublin, against anybody, will probably draw more than the clash of the Ulster champs and The Kingdom. It will be interesting to see how many do tune into TV3’s coverage of the much better tie on Sunday afternoon.
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