Paddy McGrath makes a case for the defence ahead of 2025 football rule changes

Paddy McGrath believes that players as well as the paying public are ready to embrace whatever Gaelic football’s new rules throw at them in 2025.

Right now, the Ardara native explains that opinions are in a state of flux. Off the back of the Inter-Pros unveiling, exhibition games as McGrath loosely labelled them, the 2012 All-Ireland winner says it will take until the NFL for the heat to really crank up on the change of direction.

The inter-county off-season is a peculiar time. The rumour mill cranks up and much of it is so far off the mark it’s not worth making even the most discreet of enquiries.

But when Brian McEniff casually suggested in his Donegal Democrat column recently that Michael Murphy could well have had a change of heart on retirement, you just knew there was something to it.

The online version of that same column was immediately jumped on by a host of other outlets and no one was all that surprised, in the end, when official confirmation finally landed that the Glenswilly icon was indeed back in the Donegal fold.

Murphy of course had spent the best part of the previous six months as part of Jim Gavin’s Football Review Committee (FRC) as it went about looking at ways to reshape the game as a spectacle.

But to suggest that Murphy and Jim McGuinness secretly colluded on some grand scale to reshape the direction of Gaelic football is quite the take.

It’s mischievous and so far beyond the realms of plausibility that no one in their right mind would pay it too much attention.

But mid-November, it’s just the kind of warped conversation that tends to fill the vacuum at this time of the year.

Speaking last month as the rule changes were showcased at Croke Park with a revived Inter-Pros series, Murphy no doubt already had his own mind made up that he was on the way back.

But with journalists none the wiser at the time, he was pressed on how McGuinness might look to adapt to the rejigging of the rule book.

“I would say he’ll absolutely love it,” he stressed. “I think he’ll love it when he’s to figure it out and to try and coach the team”.

Some tweaks have since been made like the dropping of the four-point goal and the two-point ‘45 proposal as Gavin and the FRC’s rules now get set to go before Special Congress at the end of the month.

Provided there are no hiccups or resistance there, Gaelic Football in 2025 veers in a much different direction.

But will Jim McGuinness really “absolutely love” the new rules as Murphy suggests?

Upon his return last term, the Glenties man’s championship approach was bold and very brave. Looking back, what was so interesting as things progressed was the energy and directness he looked to harness behind midfield.

There was an almost complete absence of what you might call touch-tight or man-markers with Donegal’s ability to relentlessly funnel bodies forward and back protecting against that being exposed.

It was innovative and it meant every single player advancing forward was a genuine scoring threat.

“And you’d imagine there would have been a real desire to progress all that on and further fine-tune it in 2025.

But that retreating compact shield, out of possession, can now only consist of 11 players so you’d guess McGuinness is back at the drawing board conjuring up something much different for when the squad reconvenes, collectively, on December 7.

Of course, the above isn’t any kind of a deep dive and there is also the real argument to be made that what Murphy now offers up top, with three attackers having to keep that consistent high line, gives Donegal plenty of exciting food for thought also.

But I remember taking my seat in Croke Park last July for Donegal’s All-Ireland semi-final clash with Galway and their energy from deep and that scoring threat was being discussed.

Someone suggested that 2012 All-Ireland winners like Eamon McGee or, and I nearly choked on my Croke Park chicken curry, Paddy McGrath, might not be able to hang in McGuinness’ high-octane approach in 2024.

Paddy McGrath up against Dublin Diarmuid Connolly 

But less than five months later there is no doubt that the Donegal boss would love to have the likes of a McGee or a McGrath given that he’s going to suddenly have to find three out-and-out defenders for next term.

And he’s quickly going to have to comb through his options to see just who is capable of taking on that retro responsibility, man-marking that is.

First choice full-back Brendan McCole’s hand will automatically go up while Mark Curran, who remember didn’t start against Galway, will also fancy his chances.

Stephen McMenamin, on the periphery of matters for much of last season, also comes right back into the reckoning.

Looking at the Donegal club scene, surely there’s a case for Conor Morrison to come back in from the cold.

And given how quickly Ciaran Moore hit the ground running, could a throw-back type defender like Aaron Deeney suddenly be a viable option?

On Monday evening, I’d two choices of cages to rattle. Eamon McGee, to be fair, has had his say on the new rules in his excellent Irish Daly Star column.

So in the end, I went with McGrath’s just to see how he viewed what the art, lost art some would argue, of defending might look like once more in January.

“It’s going to be so interesting to see how it’s all interpreted and applied,” said McGrath - a man McGuinness so often trusted with the most tricky of individual assignments.

“The hope is it brings back that one-against-one element a little bit more. It just seemed to completely move away from that in recent seasons. There wasn’t really that individual accountability.

“There’s going to be less traffic in that middle third even when teams do funnell back, I think you’re looking at eleven under the proposed new rules.

“So with three players looking to keep a high line, if that’s how it’s going to look like when we do get actually down to serious business, then you’re going to have to have lads that can do those specific jobs.

“Again, with the numbers and bodies sides were bringing back out of possession, there was just that protection where good forwards just couldn’t really find the time or space to do real damage.

“The gloves are now off so to speak. The Oisin Gallens, David Cliffords and Darragh Canavans of this world will be licking their lips at the prospect of what it’ll mean for them.

“Again, you have to reserve a little judgement to see just how it all looks like when the real pressure is on players and managers and how they set their stalls out and go about their business.

“You have to remember that times moves on and not many of these young lads now have that much experience of that - that defensive responsibility of completely trying to shut someone down on their own.

“Don’t get me wrong though, the athleticism and the quality of all those players now in the Donegal ranks, I’ve no doubt there will be quite a few that will fancy it.

“I loved it. I loved that complete responsibility. There was physicality to it, psychology and you had to be completely switched on for the entire 60 minutes. You took so much pride in it because there was that accountability and responsibility attached to it”.

McGrath during one of his many famous duels with Monaghan's Conor McManus

McGrath admits that his ilk looked like an endangered species in 2024. And while the new rules lean heavily in favour of the forward, he says Gaelic football needed this drastic change of direction.

“I know teams have looked to go with more attack-minded players in those spots recently, maybe lads that when they get up the field they were comfortable taking on the shot or whatever.

“But the thing is, this isn’t about bringing back great defending. It’s really about encouraging forward players, giving them the environment really to go and light the place up.

“I’m just looking at it from a defender’s point of view. And there are plenty out there that like to see those contests of a either forward going to town or a defender maybe making a name for himself by dominating that same duel.

“And only defenders will understand this but blocking a ball, getting a hand in and turning it over, that energises a team in its own unique way. And it lifted the crowd like nothing else back then.

“Sitting back now, looking on from the outside in, I think we were all ready for this. The game has been crying out for a change in direction. And the reasons are solid.

“Gaelic football - as a player - it was enjoyable winning. That was the main thing. But from the perspective of supporters, it also has to be enjoyable to watch”.

McGrath again references the word ‘interpretation’ and you get the feeling that he sees real scope for unique takes on how coaches and managers tweak and twist their way through the changes.

“Again, how these rules will actually evolve and settle, with managers looking to make them work for them, on their terms, it’s going to be a fascinating season. Coaching and the art of that as well will mean more than ever.

“This is where Jim will come into his own. I can only imagine what it’ll be like, with Michael back in tow also, when they really get down to business.

“I loved that part of it - the work on the training field, the gameplan and just seeing it click and come together.

“Every second counts at that level. But if these new rules do get the green light then that time on the training field becomes even more important.

“Like I said, Jim is so thorough and his great strength is making sure that the work is done. There will be different slants and interpretations and I’ve no doubt there will be serious interest on how he sees it.

“Donegal are back in Division 1 of the league as well and every single one of those games are contests, real battles. Looking at the fixtures it’s really exciting.

“It would be exciting at the best of times but with the rules, Jim back and now Michael also returning, I’m sure it can’t come quick enough for Donegal supporters. And I’m exactly the same”.

With three defenders having to keep track of an opposition trio, does that mean defenders’ own sense of adventure will be curbed? Is that the real collateral damage in all of this from a defender’s point of view?

“No - and we’re only just sort of speculating but I don’t thin kit has to be.

“But there is no doubt there’ll need to be a serious level of communication. The break of a ball sometimes will mean that a Brendan McCole or someone else will have the chance to go.

“And it could be anyone occupying those three defensive slots - just to make sure the rule is adhered to.

“Don’t forget the likes of myself, Neil, Eamon or whoever all had licence to go back in the day. Once we had possession everyone was encouraged to get forward.

“I don’t think we're going to lose that. It’s just going to be a little more controlled. There will be times that maybe the direct delivery or kick inside is on. But running the ball, sides will still transition like that.”