John Meyler: 'It just needs one or two tweaks'

By Cian O'Connell

John Meyler, Chairperson of the Hurling Expert Advisory Group, discusses the Interim Report published today.

Click here to read the report.

Q: A very comprehensive report has been compiled?

JM: We're delighted with the report on hurling. It's a baseline study for hurling really. Hurling has never been in a better position. The skill, the speed, the strength of the players. The matches that we've had over the last few years. Every organisation, such as the GAA, they've to analyse and identify where they are and where we need to take the game in the next few years.

So, this report is a valuable baseline study of where the game of hurling is at the moment, possibly to tweak with one or two changes to move the game on in the next few years. In the next two, three, four or five years that we will have moved the game on - the game is going to improve, the game is going to get better. It's a baseline study starting off, really.

Q: You've people with different expertise in the group - referees, coaches, managers, and administrators?

JM: There is huge experience within the group from different areas. It's great to have them in there. Richie Hogan won All-Ireland medals with Kilkenny, Rory Hanniffy, Willie Maher, who is the secretary of the group. Really good people. Urusla Jacob has been fantastic. John Keenan the referee has given a different perspective from a referee's point of view.

It's hugely important to have people from different backgrounds putting their own expertise in there. While you might say something, you get a referees opinion, a players opinion. That's hugely important. There is a diverse range of opinion within the group which is hugely important in terms of deciding on what recommendations we could make out of this report.

Q: In your message in the report, you write that the task was to ask, to listen, and then to decide. Could you just elaborate on that?

JM: Basically, it's to analyse the game of hurling. Where is the game of hurling now? To analyse it. What are the issues? What are the problems? What are the solutions? So, we met originally, we came up with what we'd look at. Who are the stakeholders? Who are the main stakeholders here? To identify focus groups then that we could talk to.

On that basis we put a survey in place which we had 8,500 replies to. On that quantitative evidence, along with the focus groups, we came up with probably 20 or 21 recommendations that we would put forward to The Standing Committee on Playing Rules to look at those. On that basis, then to make recommendations in the short, medium, and long term to improve the game of hurling.

Q: A lot of the focus is going to be on the trials that will be implemented in third level competitions. Your insight into some of those? Some people will view them as drastic, others are going to say change is needed in certain areas too?

JM: I think on the basis of the focus group, on the basis of the evidence from the survey, a lot of people said that the handpass is one of the main issues within GAA today. How do we curb the handpasses? There was something like 135 handpasses in the All-Ireland final. A lot of people want the handpass limited to lower the number of handpasses, more striking and moving the ball up the field. So, we've looked at that, and we've limited the handpass to one handpass, and then the ball must be struck.

You've some famous instances within hurling of 10, 12 or 14 steps. Now, we've increased that from four steps to six steps. Hopefully that will get players to move the ball quicker again.

The other one, then, is the consistency of decision making within the whole process itself. We've looked at that. We've met referees. We're also conscious of supporting referees and helping referees to make better decisions. They're the three main themes that came up from the survey. We've looked at those and made recommendations for them.

Q: The puck outs with your coaches and managers hat on, that's another interesting one?

JM: The puck outs we've looked at. We're limiting the three forwards and three backs, who have to be between the 20 and 45 from a puck out. There was concern also with the puck out, when a ball goes over from a score, you puck out the ball on the second whistle, but when the ball goes wide, the goalie having a ball in his hand, and the ball is already gone to the corner back.

Suddenly, it's gone over the bar. We've seen instances of that, too. We're limiting that to you wait for the referee's whistle, you wait for the second whistle. The three backs and the three forwards have to be between the 20 and 45, and the ball has to cross the 45. So, that's critical. We don't want rucks and melees starting then.

For every change that we make, there may be a ripple effect here. You've to be conscious of that. We're going to try these recommendations in the Fitzgibbon League matches. On that basis then, analyse those matches, and see the effect of any of these recommendations on the match. We're very grateful to the CAO for allowing us to trial this in the Fitzgibbon League.

Q: People appreciate Gaelic Football is a different game, but when you look at what's happened in the past couple of years, some of these recommendations are quite similar in the sense that they could bring plenty of excitement and the bit of chaos that has maybe reinvigorated football?

JM: Football has been fantastic over the last few years, and very good analysis. That's basically what our committee has done. We've analysed everything to a T. These same points are cropping up all of the time. Hopefully with the recommendations that we make, on the basis of the recommendations from the trial games, that we can make changes.

We won't make changes and the GAA won't make changes unless it's based on evidence. That was one of our terms of reference going out. There has to be evidence here. Those Fitzgibbon League matches will be of huge benefit to us, and we will analyse them to a T again, to see what positive has come out of it, what negative has come out of it. On that basis we will make decisions.

Q: Finally, what will that process be over the course of the upcoming Third Level leagues. How will it work out practically for you as a group?

JM: Any recommendations we make from the Hurling Advisory Group has to go to the Rules Advisory Group and has to go to the Standing Committee on Playing Rules. Then, it has to go to Croke Park before it ever gets to Congress. So, the recommendations that we look for have to be robust. They have to be tried and tested. They have to be evaluated.

On that basis then, hopefully one or two or three may get to the floor of Congress, and be voted on. It's a very difficult process to get through, but the evidence suggests hurling needs one or two tweaks. It doesn't need a radical, major overhaul. It just needs one or two tweaks to improve the game, and to move the game on for the next two, three, four or five years to see where we are.