HERE are some queries that have arisen during the first two rounds of the NFL, in relation to the changes brought in my the FRC’s new rule enhancements. When can a free be taken from outside the 40-metre arc for a two-point score? The only time a player can opt to kick a two-pointer is […]
JOE BROLLY: Everyone’s a winner
February 10, 2025
ARMAGH had played their first game against Galway as though the old rules still applied, in line with a school of thought that was popular before the league started that the new game only required a tweak of the old one. As one inter-county coach said to me, “We think we can still make do with […]
JOE BOLLY: Gavin’s rocket ship
February 1, 2025
THE old rules died at the weekend and good riddance. The finale was the Crossmolina penalty, which was the worst decision since Brexit. Just before throw in at Pearse Stadium for the Galway Armagh game, I received a Whatsapp: “The rocket is fuelled and the final countdown to a new dawn has begun.” It was not […]
Kevin Cassidy: Are you not entertained?
January 30, 2025
AS I made my way home from Connacht last Sunday evening, I just couldn’t keep the smile from my face. I was returning from covering the Roscommon and Down game, whilst also having watched all of the other National League games, and to say that I was buzzing with excitement would be an understatement. Now let’s state […]
A marked change: A look at the new rules coming into play
January 6, 2025
When the NFL kicks into gear later this month, it will signal the start of a new version of Gaelic football as we know it. Michael McMullan outlines how the game has changed including some points to consider… WHEN the ball is thrown in for Armagh’s All-Ireland rematch with Galway later this month, the NFL’s […]
KEVIN CASSIDY: A sense of Christmas cheer
December 19, 2024
LOOKING ahead to 2025, I feel, we as Gaels, have an awful lot to look forward to. Much has been said and written about the introduction of the new rules, but I must say it’s great to be looking forward to them. Over the last number of weeks, I have spoken to people involved with […]
JOE BROLLY: Saving Gaelic Football
December 8, 2024
AFTER the votes last weekend, there will not be “A New Energy” or “Moving Forward Together” for the country, but there most certainly will be for Gaelic football. Standing in front of a Christmas tree in Croke Park on Saturday morning, Jim Gavin delivered the mother of all Christmas presents to the GAA community, with voting […]
Rule changes receive ringing endorsement at Special Congress
November 30, 2024
RADICAL new rule changes to the game of Gaelic Football will be introduced wholesale to the 2025 season having received the backing of a large majority of delegates at today’s Special Congress. The rule changes, proposed by Jim Gavin’s Football Review Committee, encompassed 49 motions spread across 18 separate votes. Every single vote passed with […]
Running the rules: What the players think of the proposed rule changes
November 28, 2024
Central council delegate Benny Hurl and six intercounty footballers speak to Niall Gartland ahead of Saturday’s Special Congress on the new rules. SOON, all will be revealed. A Special Congress will take place this Saturday to determine whether Jim Gavin and his band of merry men will have their way. Unless you’ve been living under […]
JOE BROLLY: Planning permission
November 18, 2024
IT is a terrible irony that Jimmy McGuinness’s system won Michael Murphy an All-Ireland medal yet ruined his best years. As a young footballer Michael was so good it was cartoonish. Here was a real life Hotshot Hamish, fetching impossible high balls and driving them to the net like Tony Yeboah, the ‘keeper standing there wondering […]