Gaelic Football's '12th Man' is killing the game says Derry manager Paddy Tally

Tally was speaking after his first competitive game in charge of the Oak Leafers ended in a seven point defeat in Healy Park in Saturday’s National League Division One opening game, a game during which the unintended consequence of the Football Review Committee's 3v3 rule was laid bare in game changing circumstances.

With Derry having fought back to lead with only 10 minutes remaining, Tyrone keeper Niall Morgan joined his team's attack to provide the Red Hands an extra outfield attacker, the aforementioned '12th man'. Derry were forced to close but Morgan flighted a beautiful ball into the space vacated by defenders to superbly open Derry up for a game-changing goal eventually finished by Peter Teague.

It was excellent use of the new rules by the home side but Tally isn't a fan and remains worried what the rule might mean moving forward.

"The 12th man is killing the game. It’s as simple as that," explained the Galbally native after the 2-13 to 1-09 defeat.

"That is no slight on any particular goalkeeper. Niall (Morgan) is a fantastic ‘keeper but it doesn’t make any sense. You wanted one to one battles but there were periods in that game when the ball was just going back and forth across the field for two, three minutes at a time. It’s just a pointless rule.

"It doesn’t make any sense that you are now at the stage where it is nearly unfair to 11 versus 11, to add in a 12th. It just doesn’t make any sense. The goalkeeper being able to come up the field and contributing, it’s something we have to look at."

Tally pointed out that as well as being a distinct attacking advantage, the '12th man' also meant the attacking team could retain possession all too easily of in front.

"Well it happened in the first half," he added, "It doesn’t matter what time of the game it is, if you have an extra player in possession, players aren’t going to jump out of it.

"What actually happened with the second goal was the goalkeeper came up and because the players had to decide to go to close the keeper because he was at the two point shooting arc, they dropped off the man in behind.

"So it gets to the stage when you are asking, what is the best thing to do? It’s great if you have a keeper that comes up to do it, it is a real bonus, but I don’t feel that’s the way the rule was meant. Are you going to drop your goalkeeper and have an outfield man in goals? It’s a hard rule to get right."

Derry were also penalised three times in the opening half by the 'dissent' rule which allows a referee to move a free forward 50m if the ball isn't handed to the nearest opponent following a foul in possession or if the player doesn't retreat immediately, something Tally described as "draconian".

"It doesn’t seem natural. I think it’s a very draconian punishment for something so simple at times. There was one there, I don’t know if the ball was even touched on the ground and knocked away, the players weren’t too sure what it was for, and it was brought up 50m. I don't know, I think it’s a hard one on players," he added