Cork to vote in favour of hurling sin bin and penalty for cynical fouls...

         Cork will vote in favour of all 37 motions at this weekend’s GAA Congress.

Club delegates at Tuesday night’s Cork County Board meeting passed judgement on each of the motions that will appear on the Congress clár, with not a single motion earning sufficient opposition to dictate that Cork’s Congress representation vote against any of the 37 motions this weekend.

The proposal to outlaw joint-captains accepting silverware on behalf of a winning team drew most opposition, with 45 delegates in favour and 19 against.

The hurling sin bin and awarding of a penalty for cynical fouls in certain areas of the field was backed 52 to 12. This motion provoked most debate prior to delegates casting their vote, with the county board chairman, secretary, and PRO offering support for the motion.

Cork secretary Kevin O’Donovan said the introduction of a hurling sin bin has been blocked by vested interests for long enough and the time has come to adequately punish professional fouls.

“We know there has been professional fouling in hurling for a number of years. There is nothing manly about that,” O’Donovan remarked.

“We all want the aggression in our game to be preserved, but there is nothing manly about pulling someone down as they go in on goal. I think you can draw a line between that and the reduced number of goals in our championships compared to the old days when the square was someway open. Now, you are automatically dragged down once you get inside there.

There is a question mark over whether it is excessive adding the sin bin to the penalty. My view is we have got to trial the sin bin. It has been blocked for long enough by vested interests.”

Opposing the motion was county board coaching officer Jerry Walsh, Paul McCarthy of Kinsale, and Carbery vice-chairperson Aidan O’Rourke. Don Hegarty of Carraig na bhFear was another to express doubts over the proposed new rule.

“I think the sin bin part should be got rid of. I believe the problems in hurling are further out the field where the spare hand has come into play, fouling all over the place, and creating all these scrums which is destroying the game. This is fouling that is not being punished.”

Noted Don Hegarty: “If this is to come in, there should be focus on educating our referees to ensure that players who overcarry into those tackles aren’t the ones who benefit by the change of rule.”

     Source Irish Examiner Wed 24th Feb