Shane McGrath wants the GAA to err on the side of caution when it comes to head contact in hurling.
With inter-county players stronger than they've ever been, McGrath says there's too much risk involved and that those on the field must be protected.
There were examples over the weekend, with Kilkenny's Cian Kenny and Dublin's Cian O'Sullivan being treated differently for incidents involving an opponent's head.
Kenny stayed on the field, while O'Sullivan was sent to the line, and for McGrath, the consequences for the Dublin player have to be the norm in the future.
"That's down to sports science, that's down to the coaching and lads coming up through academies.
"We nearly have to go down to the zero tolerance route with the head shots, whether that's with the hurley or that's with the shoulder.
"If you look at it in rugby you have to err on the side of caution. There has to be a duty of care to the players."
While tightening the laws of the game might mean more red cards, McGrath says that it's better to be safe than sorry.
"Someone will get sent off in the wrong because of it," he acknowledged.
"It's the fastest game in the world played on grass. There's going to be mistakes.
"The refs probably get pulled the most on the mistakes.
"The hurley ones can be accidental. We saw that with Mike Casey and Tony Kelly; Tony's looks worse than what Mike's is there.
"I think there needs to be a thing that the refs talk to their linesmen and their umpires. If they feel, 'he went in with the shoulder, it was to the head, what do you think?' And he gets sent off.
"Nine out of 10 of them will be right but there probably will be one that will be wrong."
Rule changes in football have seen pushback in recent weeks, with some - such as the 20 second restart rule - receiving criticism for its punishment being deemed too harsh.
For McGrath, there's an easy way for hurlers to avoid being sent off if the rules around head contact are eventually tightened.
"Don't put yourself in that position where the ref has to make the call," he added.
"I remember I did it one year to Richie Power, it was a disgrace. I caught his faceguard up in Croke Park.
"If it was nowadays I would have been gone, red carded and rightly so. It was terrible, it's nearly something I always regret.
"That doesn't happen anymore, lads know not to go near the faceguard or the helmets.
"At the weekend you had Cian Kenny on Ciarán Joyce. For me, that's a red card. I'm going back to the err on the side of caution.
"I think Cian O'Sullivan's is a red card on Mark Fitzgerald.
"It has to be zero tolerance from now on because these guys are so physically strong. Someone's going to get hurt."
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