Experimental rules: Today's Central Council meeting at Croke Park, the latest skirmish of the campaign to reform Gaelic games - football particularly - takes place in unpromising circumstances. The original experimental disciplinary rules, unveiled before Christmas, have been scrapped because of hostility to the sin bin.

The replacement proposal, that a player given a yellow card is dismissed for the remainder of the match but with a substitute permitted, is widely perceived as a running repair to an experiment that is already fatally damaged.

For those who opposed the sin bin on the basis that you don't fix what isn't broken, the new proposal isn't any more attractive and for the growing constituency that felt the sin bin should have received its intended trial period of the National Leagues there is a suspicion that the GAA has left itself open to the charge of being irresolute on the subject of foul play.

In fact, the new proposal is probably even more severe with its stipulation that a player with a yellow card play no further role in the match.

Central Council will pass judgment on the improvised model with some of the members feeling that the original proposals were flashed past them a bit too quickly. This time they may prove more truculent.

Yet the task force that drew up the experimental proposals isn't fazed by the latest reaction. Even if the claim that the whole process had been planned sounds implausible, there's no doubt the sin bin was parked smoothly and the replacement produced quickly at last Monday week's meeting of the task force.

Within the group there is an opinion that their review should have been announced immediately rather than held up for a week and announced during the All Stars trip to Hong Kong.

"We were always going to pull back," says one member. "The idea was to put it out at its most draconian and then amend if necessary. In the past few weeks we've had it at its most severe with young referees and managers who didn't know the rules well enough. It wouldn't have been possible to retain it."

One of the stated reasons for not retaining the sin bin was that it would be impossible to implement at all levels within the GAA. One referee reported to the committee that at one match there were three in the sin bin, two blood substitutes and two ordinary substitutes all coming and going at the same time and that it would be impossible for one official to process.

There were also fears that matches would be disputed on the basis of players being on and off the field for the wrong periods of time.

Against these misgivings is the fact that rugby managed to bring in the sin bin for all levels, including junior club. In response the GAA validly - if depressingly - make the point that the culture of compliance in rugby is planets away from what a Gaelic games referee has to deal with.

Opponents of the experiment hold the view that there is no problem in football and all that's needed is proper and consistent enforcement of the existing rules.

Yet most observers of the game believe that cynical fouling is now endemic and has to be confronted.

Meath's Trevor Giles is facing into his 12th season, and while he hasn't played so far under the trial provisions - which earned the wrath of his manager Seán Boylan - with slight reservations aside, he favours the experiment.

"Getting sin-binned or sent off for the rest of the game because of one yellow card sounds a little bit harsh," says the twice footballer of the year. "You can get a yellow easily enough. Throw yourself into a tackle and get it slightly wrong and that's you gone.

"In general, the game has been cleaned up since I started and particularly in Croke Park. Not much goes on there now because of the number of cameras. But overall this is a good idea. Maybe that's from a forward's point of view but it's terribly frustrating to have your jersey pulled when you're getting away from a defender or making a run.

"I don't mind hard, physical contact - I can take that all day - and would want to keep it as physical as the rules permit but there is a culture of cynicism at all levels that needs to be addressed.

"Look back at old games on TG4 and you notice how honest they are. When they get a shoulder, they just get up and on with it. They're not looking for retribution from the referee - the way you'd see nowadays from fellas that if they got the same in a disco, there wouldn't be a bother on them.

"I know you have to remember that back in those days there was a lot of thuggery and violence but in other ways there was an honesty."

And cynicism does exist at all levels. To advocates of the changes one of the most salutary lessons of last season was the manner in which Kerry minor Darren O'Sullivan was treated in the All-Ireland final against Tyrone.

"We're at a crossroads," according to a task force member. "Does the game reward the cynical or the skilful? Darren O'Sullivan gets nine possessions and is fouled eight times. We can't sustain things as they are for another five years."

The trend towards more detailed codification and stricter enforcement of the rules isn't universally welcome. Whereas referees have been diplomatic about the experiments so far because they have to implement whatever rules are decided, there are misgivings.

According to one retired official: "I think the proposals were hugely disappointing. Sending a player to the sin bin for running across the path of another is excessive and the offence of preventing a player from scoring involves a referee in qualitative judgments, which isn't a good idea."

Whereas Giles accepts that there may be a challenge in the enforcement of some of the rules, he also believes that the culture of fouling can be tackled.

"I would imagine so but maybe stuff like pulling jerseys would need more than one ref to keep an eye on it. I'd be all for trying it out during the league because it would give seven weeks for all teams and referees to see how it works out."

There has been surprise that no action has been taken on the question of cumulative yellow cards. Whereas the proposed expulsion for the remainder of a match is a deterrent, under the standard rules a player can receive a yellow card in every match without missing any action.

"Teams have to play the same number of games," is the response from the task force. "I don't know any competition that's structured the way ours is. Progress from A to B should involve the same number of games for each team. Without that you'll be adding another level of unfairness."

But ultimately what Central Council decides today will indicative of the GAA's willingness to take on foul play. In the words of the GAA's Head of Games Pat Daly, also a member of the task force: "Football has to be a game where those who play the ball are rewarded, those who play the man aren't rewarded and those who play cynical are put out of business. If you want a skilful game you have to do something about it."

The Purcell Cup semi-finals take place this afternoon in Queen's University Belfast. Favourites Garda College face IT Tralee and the host team play St Mary's, Belfast. Both matches start at 12.30 and will be preceded at 11.00 by the Shield semi-finals.