Armagh 2002 All-Ireland winner John McEntee admits that he is approaching the dawn of the 2025 with some trepidation — and it’s a safe bet to say that he is not on his own.
McEntee, who will be embarking on his third year in as manager of the Inniskeen club in Monaghan, believes that the huge overall programme of club games will pose fresh problems with the introduction of the new playing rules.
While there is general agreement that the rules will be incorporated within the inter-county scene with some fluency, the possible lack of referees and perhaps even umpires could have an impact at club level.
Like many of his managerial counterparts, McEntee has been endeavouring to familiarise himself with the rules but acknowledges that there could well be teething problems when they are formally introduced at the start of the Allianz Football League on the weekend of January 25/26.
“As I see it, the rules are not really the problem,” points out McEntee.
“It’s really the overall volume of games and indeed it’s the overall quality of those games that could prove a problem. Let’s face it, we have got a very unbalanced system when you look at it.”
“There’s no point in going into things too deeply just now but if you watch the National League action this is a brilliant competition.
“Every team is playing at their own level when you look at it and this is what gives the competition balance and makes matches fairly straightforward to referee.”
“But we could have problems along the way if we have lopsided Provincial Championships.”
It’s the club scene that causes McEntee concerns as the formal launch of the new rules looms in a competitive context.
Even at this juncture there are suggestions coming from certain counties that some referees may be unwilling to officiate at matches going forward and this could obviously cause GAA chiefs problems.
There is hope, though, that new recruits may be attracted but they may take some time in which to familiarise themselves with refereeing procedures.
“I think referees have to be given every encouragement. Obviously the new rules will impose their own demands on whistlers,” insists McEntee.