Gaelic Games/GAA annual congress: The controversial yellow card experiment is to be abandoned at next month's GAA annual congress.

Having attracted widespread hostility over the course of the National Leagues, the provision whereby players getting a yellow card were ordered off with a replacement allowed will not be put forward for permanent inclusion in the playing rules.

A motion from Kilkenny to last weekend's Central Council meeting that the experiments be dropped immediately was ruled out of order because a competition, in this case the National League, couldn't change playing rules mid-stream. The current trial will continue until May's league finals.

Pat Daly, the GAA's head of games who was the servicing officer to both the football and hurling task forces, which drew up the experiments, said that they had decided not to bring the yellow card proposal to congress.

"We felt that it wasn't going to attract sufficient support, but more importantly that the point about fouling has been made in the National Leagues by introducing a system of punishing cumulative yellow cards."

Another trial proposal that saw sideline cuts struck over the bar worth two points has also been omitted from motion 10, submitted by the Connacht Council and which includes most of the other experimental playing rules, including the new yellow card offences of fouling off the ball and body-checking. There is also a lengthy schedule of new definitions of various types of foul play.

A new disciplinary initiative is proposed in motion 10: that yellow cards be cumulative for the purpose of suspension. Two yellow cards in successive matches, one yellow card in three separate matches or one yellow in two matches and two in another would all mean that the player involved miss his team's next fixture in the competition.

A Cork motion, however, does make reference to the sinbin - the original trial punishment for a yellow card before it was abandoned in January. This proposes that 10 minutes in the sinbin be the sanction for receiving two yellow cards.

Other elements of the experiments put forward for ratification include the pick-up off the ground in football, which is the subject of two motions; one from St Joseph's in Roscommon is more permissive than that from Mayo's Ballyhaunis in that it doesn't require the player to be standing.

The plastic tee for kick-outs is proposed in three motions, ranging from its use being mandatory to optional.

Roscommon's Kilmore club suggest the introduction of a mark such as used in International Rules. It would be restricted to catches from kick-outs and would have to be taken between the 45-metre lines. Another idea borrowed from the international game is the introduction of a runner, proposed by Ballyhaunis.

There is likely to be controversy about the proposal from Na Fianna in Dublin that helmets be made compulsory for all hurling grades up to and including under-21. This is a logical extension of last year's introduction of mandatory helmets up to and including minor, but may experience more opposition.

Dunloy in Antrim propose to make it an offence to "pull or take hold of an opponent's helmet".

GAA director general Liam Mulvihill, who briefed media, pointed out that in other games with helmets such offences are treated very seriously.

The Baltinglass club in Wicklow forward a motion proposing that timekeeping duties be passed from the referee to either a countdown clock or an independent time official. This would apply to all adult championship matches, which would be a tall order in terms of logistics.

Burren, the Down club, propose limiting blood substitutions to 15 minutes after which the replacement must be made permanent.

Congresses at which playing rules may be changed arise only every five years so the clár is always very extensive. This year the motions list runs to 51, a number of them very lengthy proposals. At the previous playing rules congress in 2000, 68 motions were listed.

The remaining tickets for the Hogan and Cusack Stands for tomorrow's All-Ireland club finals will be on sale from the Cusack Stand ticket office from 11am to 7pm today while stocks last. A limited number will also be available from Ticketmaster outlets, via the Ticketmaster website or by calling 0818-719300.

Tomorrow tickets for the Canal End Stand and the Hill 16 terrace will be available from ticket outlets in the Croke Park area. Adult stand tickets will cost €20 while Hill 16 tickets are €15. Student/senior citizen tickets are € 10 and juvenile (under-16) €5.

Limerick hurling manager Joe McKenna and his football counterpart Liam Kearns are close to reaching agreement on dual players Conor Fitzgerald and Stephen Lucey. A county board spokesman confirmed they had discussed the issue.

Lucey has not played this season following a shoulder operation and he could be out of action for a few more weeks.