Éamonn Fitzmaurice admits the Football Rules Committee (FRC) that he is part of will "have to look" at the rule that allows teams who have shipped a red or black card to avoid having to keep three forwards in the opposition half at all times.
While the issue has cropped up on a number of occasions to date in the Allianz Football League, it became front and centre during in Round 4 at the weekend.
Kerry were arguably at their best when reduced to 13 men in their Division 1 win over Tyrone in Pomeroy, while Galway dispatched Donegal in the top tier at Pearse Stadium, as playing with 13 men never threatened to thwart their path to victory.
As a consequence, the Tribesmen only had to keep one forward up when playing with 13 – but Donegal were compelled to keep three defenders back, a situation that Donegal boss Jim McGuinness later described as "farcical".
Speaking on Allianz League Sunday, analysts Enda McGinley and Lee Keegan stated the rule is "not fit for purpose".
Under football's new rules, red and black cards aren't negatively impacting those sides at a numerical 'disadvantage'. 'Not fit for purpose' was Lee Keegan's blunt assessment of how the rules are panning out, with amendments likely soon. #rtegaa pic.twitter.com/lXgR9UqYwA
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) February 23, 2025
"Absolutely, 100%," he said.
"When we were thinking about it initially, it was to avoid a double punishment, where if you got a black or red card, that team would have the freedom to have their two players on either their defensive or offensive side.
"We thought that’s the way it would play out, but that isn’t the way it’s playing out. Teams have exploited it and used it very cleverly.
"Even being down players, teams have been able to engineer a 12v11."
The Jim Gavin-led FRC has a weekly online meeting every Monday, as well as in-person meetings where the landscape of the rule rules is critiqued.
After the next round of games there could be further tweaks to the current rules, but Fitzmaurice is keen to stress that while this particular rule will be addressed, it was always expected that road-testing would bring about further changes.
"Of course when we meet up, that will be one of the items we will be discussing," he said.
"It’s going to be something we’re going to have to look at.
"It is an unintended consequence. That was always going to happen. That’s the reason this year is an experimental year.
"That’s the beauty of being able to trial it like this. By the time things are voted into the permanent rule book at the end of the year, they will have been robustly tested, hopefully streamlined and improved."
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