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Kieran McGeeney & Mickey Harte may have been left miffed but opening weekend of GAA’s new rules showed their value
A BAD weekend for wheelie-bins and trampolines was a good one for football.
A new era for the game began across the country as the Football Review Committee’s “enhancements” came into force for the first time in competitive action.
Of course, there were plenty of teething problems and confusion. So much change all in the one go was always going to create that, but we will get there.
The FRC have stressed all along that this is a fluid situation, and everything is under constant review.
First off, blessed are the kickers – for they will inherit two-point scores. 48 orange flags were raised across the 13 NFL games in all four divisions.
Not bad given the country was recovering from a storm, and that number will only increase when the ground hardens and the days get longer.
Galway’s Cillian Ó Curraoin said it all when the rules had him “licking his lips,” and playing Sigerson football for the University of Galway without them ticked him off.
His monster two-pointer in the second half of their win against Armagh on Saturday night set the ball rolling for Shane Walsh and Paul Conroy to follow suit, and was the turning point in the game.
But the All-Ireland final rematch was not without confusion either. When Armagh were penalised for not having three players in the Galway half, the Tribes were awarded a free from the 20-metre line.
Walsh utilised a fresh element to the rule where the kick can be taken from outside the arc – which he converted to put his team 1-9 to 0-7 ahead.
Unhappy Orchard boss Kieran McGeeney was unaware of the change, and vented his frustration afterwards.
Take a spin down to O’Connor Park in Tullamore, and new Offaly joint-boss Mickey Harte aired his opposition to kick-outs having to go beyond the new arc after their impressive victory against Sligo.
He doesn’t see the point of it, but it was introduced to create more contests and help tackle some of the drab, long spells of possession that have blighted games.
Dublin and Mayo produced a Saturday night cracker, as they always do – but the rules did not have a massive bearing on the game overall.
But Gavin Sheridan did look good in goal, and often raced forward beyond the half way line to give his team a 12 v 11 advantage, as did Mayo stopper Colm Reape.
Will we see Stephen Cluxton take the same approach whenever he does surface? At 43, it’s hard to know if he will.
DONEGAL TO DO WELL?
It will be fascinating to see what Donegal come up with when the Dubs roll into town this Saturday night, given Jim McGuiness’ reputation as a coach – good or bad.
His ultra-defensive tactics in their infamous 2011 semi-final loss to the Dubs is where a lot of this craic started in the first place, even though swift counter-attacking play saw them land Sam a year later.
And what about the mighty Kingdom? It’s a long trek to Derry for them this weekend, but you’d think David Clifford will be even more potent under the new laws.
It’s just crucial to remember things will continue to evolve all the time, and different approaches will unfold every single weekend from teams.
Tweaks and changes will be made by the powers that be along the way and before we know it, the championship will be here on the weekend of April 5 and 6.
We’ve only had one round of league action, there’s still seven to go and a lot of learning to do. Mattie Donnelly admitted as such after Tyrone’s fine win against the Oak Leaf.
Old habits die hard, but new ones are essential.