The GAA's Central Council have approved the Football Review Committee's new rules to be voted upon at Special Congress next month, but the vote on return of pre-season tournaments in 2025 has been delayed.
The Jim Gavin-led FRC made two small changes to the proposed rules showcased in Croke Park last week, with four points for a goal and two points for a 45 both dropped ahead of today's meeting in Headquarters.
Central Council subsequently, and predictably, waved the rules onwards towards Special Congress on 30 November, when delegates will decide which, if any, of the proposed rule changes will come into effect at the start of the 2025 Allianz League.
It is still to be determined if the league will be the first shop window for the rules after a procedural clarification was sought on today's vote on the pre-season tournaments.
The 49 present at today's meeting will receive an email later to facilitate an electronic vote on whether the McKenna Cup, McGrath Cup, FBD League and O'Byrne Cup will be staged in January.
The Cavan-sponsored motion provoked a week of lobbying from players' body, the Gaelic Players Association (GPA), who rejected suggestions the competitions were needed to allow for further testing of the new playing rules.
"Reversing that decision now would prioritise financial income – as recently articulated by the Connacht Council Secretary - over the health and well-being of our amateur athletes, despite overwhelming evidence of player burnout," a GPA statement said.
"If the pre-season competitions are reintroduced on 2 January, the return-to-training date would need to be moved from 7 December to as early as 16 November."
FRC chairman Gavin defended the abolition of the four-point goal, saying the decision was taken to defend against blowout defeats between mismatched inter-county teams.
"The feedback we got from inter-county players and Ard Chomhairle members was that people felt it would work in competitive games, between teams of equal status, but with structures in the association, as we know, we get Division 1 teams against Division 4 teans. If a team from a lower division got behind by two goals, eight points, people felt in that scenario it would be quite difficult."
Gavin believes the changes to defence brought about by two-point arc will still leave room for more goals. While Central Council will have the power to sweak the rule and reintoridc four goals if they see fit.
"We expect that we will see more goals either way, He said. " The prudent thing to do was at the moment reduce it to three points.
"Whatever rules pass in five weeks' time, Central Council will have power to rescind or amend any of those rules."
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