Overcarrying - A step too far for the GAA?

Writing in his 2020 annual report, Ulster GAA secretary Brian McAvoy used the opportunity to voice his frustration with overcarrying in Gaelic football.

In his opinion the 'steps rule', which permits a player in possession of the ball to "carry it in the hand for a maximum of four consecutive steps or held in the hand for no longer than the time needed to take four steps" is no longer "fit for purpose".

Present in both codes, he was of the opinion that it is policed marginally better than in hurling, but that wasn’t saying much. There were too many instances throughout the year highlighting the liberal use of the rule.

"The game has evolved - it has changed from a game of 'catch and kick' to a possession game and the rule has failed to keep pace with the evolution of the game," he wrote.

"Where a rule can't be enforced it shouldn't be there."

Earlier that year, the Canadian County Committee brought forward a motion to the 2020 Congress seeking to amend the rule by replacing "four steps" with "two seconds".

It received just 9% support.

McAvoy was disappointed – yet not surprised – and he felt that without a trial it would never succeed among delegates and that there was too much resistance among the football fraternity.

"A 'time-based' approach rather than a 'steps-based' approach is obviously the approach," McAvoy wrote, urging the GAA's Standing Committee on Playing Rules (SCPR) to investigate further.

Chaired by David Hassan, the SCPR undertook further research. The results however did little to support the ‘time-based’ approach.

A report completed by Gaelic Stats looked at 15 inter-county games in 2022. In 50 randomly selected examples, it was found that the average number of steps taken was 5.4. The average time it took a