Positives outweigh negatives amid storm of changes

We finally viewed - or at least some of us did - the new rules in competitive action and the initial verdict is more positive than negative.

Storm Eowyn prevented a sizable chunk of Connacht and beyond from witnessing this long-awaited premiere from the comfort of their own home.

Mayo is sadly dome-less for the first time in a few years, though the redoubtable John Prenty is determined to rebuild the facility. Hopefully, it won't be too long before the giant spaceship in Bekan is back to its former glory.

Here in Westport, we were without power for a day or so but fortunately the electricity was restored early on Saturday morning. Other places, we should acknowledge, weren't so lucky.

Watching the first half of the Galway-Armagh game in Salthill made me briefly wonder whether we weren't the unlucky ones.

All these changes to the game that we've introduced in a blaze of hype and publicity - and it's the same stuff we're watching!

It turned out that Gaelic football in 2025 bore an uncanny resemblance to Gaelic football in 2024.

Thankfully, over the course of the weekend, that opening 35 minutes proved an outlier. And there was some mitigation for the two teams involved, with Pearse Stadium a difficult ground to play in even in kinder conditions - as I know too well - and the added factor of Armagh's obvious post-All-Ireland hangover.

Paul Conroy watches his two-point attempt sail over

Otherwise, we saw promising signs of the impact of the new rules in Croke Park and Kingspan Breffni on Saturday evening, as well as in the Hyde on Sunday.

The Division 2 games, in particular, gave us much higher scorelines than we've usually had the right to expect in January.

The week one assessment of the new rules is that most of them worked well.

The solo-and-go was a total success and players have taken to it instantly. Arguably too much. The evidence from the game in Salthill is that players choosing to kick frees in their own half is nearly already a thing of the past. Solo-and-go is already the default option in your own half.

The 3v3 rule is definitely the way to go, even if it was slightly frustrating viewing when the rule was infringed - the game stops abruptly, you're momentarily unsure of what's happening, the referee walks towards his linesman and you realise we've a tap-over free down the other end.

The success of the rule is dependent on the teams adjusting to the new reality and not breaking it every few minutes. To weed it out, the refs obviously need to carry a big stick at the start.

While many teams are still programmed to be conservative and risk-averse in possession, the 3v3 rule should, in time, when coaches start to recognise its possibilities, reward more adventurous, attacking football.

While it's a relatively minor adjustment compared to the others, personally I like the one-on-one throw-in. It's a bit cleaner than the old throw-in, with four lads muscling and obstructing one another, and has a kind of gladiatorial feel, a one-on-one duel for possession.

As for the quibbles, the rule mandating players to literally hand over the ball to the opposition when a free is awarded is still nonsense. Completely needless. The 50m penalty in the case of dissent is very harsh and I know some refs were hotter on it than others.

I'm broadly in favour of the two-point score outside the arc. But I would restrict it to points from play.

A dead-ball score shouldn't be rewarded by two points. For instance, the Shane Walsh two-pointer free that he brought outside the arc was much too punitive on Armagh. I know it caused a bit of a ruckus on the sideline, with Kieran McGeeney apparently unaware this was an option under the new rules.

One consequence of the two-point arc is that our old friend - the wind - could really come back into vogue as a huge factor in games. Its impact was lessened in the era of possession football but it made its presence felt especially in Salthill and Hyde Park.

Galway, with the elements at their back in the second half, basically killed the game with a flurry of two-pointers in a short spell. While Roscommon overturned a five-point half-time deficit to win by seven in the end. There were nine two-pointers kicked in the Hyde, all of them with the aid of the breeze.

Then, there's the goalkeeper conundrum.

We saw nearly every goalkeeper roaming into the opposition half to become an option for possession at the weekend, even the ones who were previously inclined to stay at home. The 12v11 scenario could be exploited all too easily in time. It's one for the FRC to monitor closely in the coming weeks.

One team who seemed to adjust particularly well to the new rules was Tyrone, who beat Derry even without the Canavan brothers. Perhaps no surprise either given their new manager sat on the actual committee which introduced them. They've flattered to deceive since 2021 but they could be winding up for a big year.

Conor Glass greets his former club manager Malachy O'Rourke after Tyrone overcame Derry

I'm on punditry duty in the Athletic Grounds, for their game away to Armagh on Saturday evening. Based on last week's showing, I'd be fancying them to make it two from two, even if the derby aspect to that fixture makes it often unpredictable.

For the hosts, there's uncertainty over Rian O'Neill's intentions. Armagh's kicked zero two-pointers last weekend and barely even tried for them. We saw in the inter-pros that O'Neill can be a match-winner under the new rules, with his ability from long-range. And yet he is not making himself available.

I know some up in Armagh are confident he'll be back in the set-up in time for championship. I wouldn't be so sure but we'll wait and see.

Assessing the Donegal-Dublin and Derry-Kerry games is tricky, given the match in Killarney was postponed, in slightly strange circumstances, last weekend.

An inexperienced Mayo team performed fairly well in Croke Park, with the likes of Davitt Neary impressing in particular. However, the ending was all too familiar against the Dubs and they don't seem, at the moment, to have an ability to kick points outside the arc. That could prove costly if not addressed.

I hope to get along to the game against Galway in Castlebar but I'd make the visitors favourites on recent evidence.

The Crossmolina contingent could return soon and help us in the two-point stakes. Jordan Flynn will have no qualms about attempting a few at any rate.

We should finish this week by paying tribute to Crossmolina and Conor Loftus in particular after that incredibly win at the weekend. Ballinderry will be justifiably sore about the late penalty call, which looked very dodgy.

But truly, you couldn't write that script. And for Loftus to step up and slot the winner after a terrible few weeks, it was remarkable stuff.

Watch Armagh v Tyrone in the Allianz Football League on Saturday from 5.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. Listen to Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1

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