The recent GAA Congress in Carlow a few weeks ago made a number of rule changes, including the introduction of the mark.
However, that wasn't the only proposition which has caused controversy, as the proposal to change the age limit of U21 football has also met with some opposition.
Former Tyrone player Peter Canavan is one of the dissenting voices on that front, as he recently told The Irish News that the decision was "hard to believe, hard to fathom, especially with the drop-out rate in Gaelic football".
What was known as the U21 grade will be replaced with an U20 grade from 2018 in football, but the decision will not be implemented in hurling.
Image: ©INPHO/ Tom Honan
Canavan, a member of the U21 management team in Tyrone, stated that he was "extremely disappointed, I think it’s change for the sake of change and not based on proper reasoning".
He dubbed it as "ludicrous", and added that "it’s the perfect blooding ground for getting players ready for senior football and, yet, they’re doing away with it [...] it just doesn’t stack up, it doesn’t make sense and it would make you wonder are they trying to do away with this level of football altogether when they have come up with this ludicrous decision".
While Canavan did state that something needed to be done about player burnout, he felt the GAA "have pressed the panic button" and removed a "perfect stepping-stone" for those who want to progress to inter-county football.
Via The Irish News
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