The quick puck-out and a quick free from the hand have been among the rule changes for camogie that have been bedding in well of late but what of the rules around minimal contact?
This was one of the questions put to Camogie president Hilda Breslin on this week’s edition of Camán Caint, streaming now wherever you get your podcasts.
When the matter was raised, host Martin Quilty posed the question as to whether a change is coming down the line that will see “full-on shoulder-to-shoulder contact like their male counterparts”.
“We have shoulder-to-shoulder if you’re going for the ball”, says Breslin.
“I suppose that’s the key. What I think we’ll never have is, if you’re not going for the sliotar, there shouldn’t be contact. In essence, that’s rugby and we’re not playing rugby.”
“Where we are, the rule allows a fair amount of contact once you’re going for the sliotar and it’s clear that you’re trying to play the ball and not the player.”
“I’m not sure if it would serve camogie well if you were playing the player rather than the sliotar, that’s not the skill of camogie. The skill of camogie is in playing the sliotar, not the opposition.”
You can listen to the full interview on the latest edition of the podcast, Season 2 Episode 11, available now.
