Big Jim
Well-Known Member
Rule was amended/updated about 3 years ago Pat (and it may have been more). In a later comment it's mentioned that the defending player should be given sufficient time to get out of the way and that's correct. Technically the free taker had men left, right and right forward of him, but chose to kick the ball directly at the defender's back.
Can't remember the player or game but in an AI qtr or semi final maybe two years ago a player got a red card and the commentators mentioned it was most likely for "striking" because I think the ball hit the back of the players head. That was the main reason cited for tightening the rule, because in some cases it could be dangerous. I can also remember someone being sent off against us in Clones a few years back for hitting one of our lads in the face with a ball.
Now I'll qualify all that by saying, remember I'm a 97 year old unionist from Fermanagh so that could all be fantasy so it could!
................I'm joking before someone sets the Scully's on me 
