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Cormac Reilly shows Fionn Fitzgerald a black card. Cathal Noonan/INPHO

Scoring up, cards down since the introduction of football's black card

The number of frees awarded has also fallen.

SCORING IN CHAMPIONSHIP games has increased by almost 9% since the introduction of the black card, while the number of frees awarded has fallen by nearly 16% according to statistics released by the GAA today.

The Central Competitions Control Commitee of the GAA say that the average number of points in a game is now 36.43 (2.34 goals, 27.89 points) compared to 32.05 last season (1.98 goals, 26.10 points).

Indeed, the average number of points per game is now over four points more (14%) than it was in 2010.

51 black cards were handed out in this seasons’ 64 championship games, at a rate of just less than one a game (0.79). However, the number of other cards has fallen dramatically in the last year, as has the number of frees awarded.

In 2014 there were 217 yellow cards issued (3.39 per game) compared to 420 (6.89) in 2013. The number of reds also fell from 28 (.45) last season to just 9 (.14) this year while there were almost six less frees (36.43 compared to 42.17) per game.

These figures are consistent with trends witnessed in the league which saw a 50% reduction in the number of cards per game following the introduction of the black card.

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    Mute Damien Costello
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    Feb 8th 2017, 12:14 PM

    7k fine to a 17 year old is ridiculous for what he done. Code vialiation is about all he deserved.

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    Mute Ted Logan
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    Feb 8th 2017, 12:32 PM

    If he can keep hitting the ball with that accuracy he should be long making back the $7000.

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    Mute Fear Uisce
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    Feb 8th 2017, 12:39 PM

    Accidently on purpose hit the ref

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    Mute Damien Costello
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    Feb 8th 2017, 1:11 PM

    Well I think if he done it on purpose he would’ve missed by a mile. You see the bigger names smashing balls and throwing rackets into the crowd and at officials and nothing happening to them.

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    Mute Paul Scanlon
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    Feb 8th 2017, 1:24 PM

    Total BS the lad didn’t intentionally hit the umpire. It was an accident, We all make mistake. I think they should have taken a break and continued with the match. A simple apology would have been appropriate. Imposing a 7k fine on a child is ridiculous

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    Mute DuskyTheCat
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    Feb 8th 2017, 2:17 PM

    Child my ass.

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    Mute Name
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    Feb 12th 2017, 6:54 AM

    To all who red thumbed me the other day for suggesting the book should be thrown at him. The umpire was operated on for an orbital bone fracture. Accident? Yes. Wreckless? Utterly.

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    Mute Ollie Watson
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    Feb 8th 2017, 4:41 PM

    Fair play brightens up the boring sport

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