Damian Diver sees a new game with forward thinking as new rules are unveiled

D-Day finally landed at Croke Park at the weekend when the seven new rule enhancements, tasked with changing the state of Gaelic football, were unveiled to the public. 

It started on Friday night with Connacht playing Leinster, and the change from what we saw - compared to the inter-county season - was already in full force.  

By the time the buzzer sounded to end the first quarter, Connacht’s 1-11 was already worth more than the 1-11 the All-Ireland champions Armagh scored last July on the biggest Sunday in the football calendar. 

In one way it highlights the increased speed of the new game and the overall open play, and while Leinster underperformed, the large scoring and gap between the sides can cause early concern about how much the match can get away from an inferior team. 

But that is a different discussion based around a fair and properly organised tiered footballing system rather than the new rules. 

At a time when players have never been fitter or more skillful, the flow of the game has resulted in teams retreating rather than invading. 

Forwards have not been given the space to breathe, from senior inter-county level right down to club U-16s.  

There have always been bad matches, but the new rule enhancements will, in time, hopefully, switch from a game that for over a decade has become more and more unwatchable.  

The aim of the Football Review Committee, spearheaded by Jim Gavin, with Donegal legend Michael Murphy on board is simple, to bring a spirit of excitement and adventure back into Gaelic Football.  

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In looking at what unfolded over the weekend; Donegal legend Damian Diver discussed what the new and hopefully improved game will look like before being assessed after the 2025 National Football League.   

For the Ardara native, he can see the benefits in the new rule enhancements making it a much faster and enjoyable game.  

He felt that what was on show, particularly after the Ulster v Connacht final on Saturday, was a return to the fundamental basics of Gaelic football.  

“I enjoyed the new rules to be fair,” the former Donegal player said. “I know the scoring is going to be a big plus because it means as a defender you have to press out and be alert to stop long-range two-point scores, so that improves the game to see more natural defending.  

“On the opposite side of it, the rule like the tap-and-go and the 20-metre ‘mark’, there’s now more of an onus to drive forward and get goals.  

“The kickouts are far better too because they set the play up quicker and develop a more tense battle around the middle which creates a better spectacle, and that’s what we want to see as fans. We want to see more high fielding around midfield.”  

Diver admits that the new rules will force coaches and managers to think of different ways in how they can use the new rules to the best advantage of their team, which will be interesting to see teams develop new styles rather than the same negative setup from a decade ago.  

“Look, we’re not going to get a full reading of this straight away, we’re going to see how teams take to it when they’re training,” the Ardara man said.  

“Teams are going to be training a lot differently to how they were in the past and that is going to result in managers and coaches looking at areas of the game that they probably never looked at before.  

“For example, one thing we might see with teams driving forward is having fewer goalkeepers, and having more outfield players in goals who would then come out and get involved in the play around midfield, because there’s going to be a greater need for them to come up and kick long-range scores and really get involved in the play.  

“I think what we have been calling for more over the last number of seasons is the increase in the fundamentals of football. In those matches at the weekend, we saw more kicking and more speed in the game, which is something we need.”  

While the two-point arc and the 3 versus 3 system creates more space for the natural forward to move and take advantage of, Diver acknowledges that it still won’t fully eliminate the idea of methodical possession-based football and defensive shapes.  

But with 11 players now being the maximum allowed inside a team’s half, it will allow for the return of more one-on-one defending on one end, and high-kicking balls into full-forwards on top of the square at the other end.   

“Of course, there are going to be areas where it’s not going to be perfect,” Diver claimed. “This isn’t going to fully stop possession-based football.  

“Teams are still going to throw the ball around and hold possession in their own half but it’ll leave it easier for teams to press the ball out and turn the opposition over.   

“I think with the space inside and with the long-range kicking, there probably is that need for a big full-forward again, like a Michael Murphy, where you can kick the ball in high to him or into space where he can use his power to drive forward.  

“The rules probably favour the natural forwards a bit more, in that they have the advantage to win their own ball, but what it’ll do, especially with the fact that three players have to be left in their own half is, it’ll teach defenders how to defend again.  

“At the moment I see defenders constantly looking for cover and support from their teammates, there’s no man-to-man defending anymore. Back in my day if you couldn’t mark your man, then you were moved off him, so you had to learn how to defend properly.  

“Whereas now, it never seems to be a defender's fault when something goes wrong, it’s because he didn’t have the cover in front of him, so I think this is going to bring us back to the basics of football, in that you kick the ball in, the forward wins his ball and goes for goal, and the defender tries to stop him.”