Adam Moynihan was in Croke Park as the FRC unveiled their plans for the future of Gaelic football (and he liked what he saw)

At GAA HQ on Saturday night, as the clock ticked down to 0.00 at the end of the first quarter, the newly-introduced hooter burst into life and bellowed loudly around the mostly empty stadium. The tremendous noise almost startled the poor man in front of me out of his seat. The way Gaelic football has been going, maybe a shock to the system is exactly what we need.
There was a giddy atmosphere at Croker for the Inter-Provincial decider between Connacht and Ulster; I think we were all genuinely excited to see the Football Review Committee’s new proposals in the flesh.
The game itself was great fun, particularly in the closing minutes as Connacht snatched a draw before losing a comically bad penalty shootout. But that part was unimportant. The weekend’s matches were a showcase for the possible new rules and they were a resounding success in that regard. Of course that comes with the caveat that there was nothing really at stake and we won’t be able to properly judge the amendments until they’re trialled in competitive games.
With all that being said, I was very encouraged by what I saw. The 3v3 in each half of the field is a real game changer and of all the proposals on the table, I believe this is the most important.
The return to a more traditional shape with attacking players being stationed up the pitch made such a huge difference. Firstly, it prevented teams from implementing a blanket defence with 15 behind the ball. They could still bring back 12 - the change will not signal the end of the low block - but there was more space for attacking teams to exploit. And when the defenders forced a turnover and looked to transition to attack, they immediately had targets to aim at in the other half of the pitch.
All told, it led to quicker attacks, more kicking, and less possession-based football. Isn’t that exactly what we’re after?
TWO-POINTERS
As for the new scoring format, with goals being worth four points and shots from outside the 40-metre arc being worth two, the latter worked a lot better than the former. In fact, as I was writing this piece on Wednesday it was reported by Maurice Brosnan in the Irish Examiner that the four-pointer is being scrapped.
The two-point arc is a nice addition and, for me, anything that encourages guys like Rian O’Neill to shoot from distance more often is a plus.
Awarding two points for frees and 45s has been criticised by some and I agree on the 45s – in fact, it now appears that they will revert to one point – but the frees cannot be worth one if the arc is kept.
Picture the scene: it's the 2025 All-Ireland final. Shots outside the arc count for two points but frees count for one. Kerry are down by two. It’s the last play of the game. Seánie O'Shea receives the ball outside the arc and is about to go for a two-pointer to level the scores… What are the defenders going to do? Foul him. They know the one-pointer from a placed ball is no good to Seánie in that scenario. Therefore, you are encouraging cynical play by not making frees worth two.
If you think two-point frees from the edge of the arc are handy and the reward is too great, the solution is pretty simple. Don't foul around the edge of the arc.
OTHER CHANGES
The new kickout format, with the ball having to travel beyond the 40-metre arc, worked pretty well. There was a noticeable increase in contests. It was nice seeing Stephen Cluxton getting a bit rattled in the first game on Friday as he seemed to struggle to find his man. Pity it's 10 years too late.
One rule that might need some tweaking is the one pertaining to where on the pitch the keeper can receive the ball from a teammate. While banning the pass to the goalkeeper in his own half is a definite improvement as it cuts out the cowardly backpass (which in turn was leading to boring periods of uncontested possession), there is a loophole. The keeper can now only receive the ball from a teammate in the opposition half and when he gets up that high, as Niall Morgan did for Ulster on Saturday, the attacking team then have a 12v11 outfield advantage. This will undoubtedly lead to more piggy in the middle stuff.
It’s a definite sticking point and it could result in a more severe amendment to the rule, potentially signalling the end of passes to the goalkeeper entirely.
The solo and go is another ‘yes’ for me. We didn’t see as much of it as I expected over the weekend but it’s simple and it speeds up the game. The 50m penalty for dissent and for not handing the ball to an opponent when it’s their free are also positive steps.
One major rule ‘enhancement’ that we didn’t see in action, probably because there was nothing at stake in the games, was the new interpretation of the black card. If the FRC have their way, stopping an attack by holding a player (not just by pulling them down) will result in a sin-binning. That’s a necessary change in my opinion.
There are several other suggestions in the FRC’s masterplan and after witnessing them first-hand, I would be in favour of trialling basically all of them in the league next year, with some amendments and omissions as suggested above.
If they need further tailoring then or if they’re not fit for purpose, so be it. But change is badly needed and the vast majority of what I saw was smart, progressive and at least worthy of further exploration.