The Sigerson Cup will not implement the new rules this year, but they are coming, and eventually in 2025, every competition will have them in place.
Managers and coaches everywhere are trying to get their head around the enhancements, but players ultimately are the ones who have to try and perform under them.
Down legend Conor Deegan is the manager of Queen's University, and when speaking on The Puke Football Podcast at the draw of the Electric Ireland GAA Higher Education Championships, he revealed that they trialled a few games under the new laws.
READ ALSO: Crossmaglen Rangers Appoint First Ever Outside Manager to Replace Anthony Cunningham
READ ALSO: Ulster Champions Play Again This Weekend Due To Bizzare League Glitch
"At Queen's we didn't know if we were going to be playing the new rules or not, so we tried a few in-house, and keeping the three up, definitely changed the game.
"The difficulty was keeping the three up because their instinct was to drop back, and you were literally standing at the sideline shouting at them not to go back over the line.
"That in itself will be a massive shift in how the game is played, and how the ball is moved, and when it is done really well, it really is good to watch.
"When the ball is zipped quickly, the forward gets out in front, wins it, and takes his man on - that's a throwback in some ways.
"If we can get pace up front, put the ball in long and early, boys are out in front with good support, that's how the game is going to be now."
Down legend and Queen's University Sigerson manager Conor Deegan joins Lee on the show:
- How no pre-season cups gives Sigerson the spotlight
- Why the new rules weren't brought into Sigerson 🤔
- Interesting in-house games where the new rules were trailled
-The future of Down pic.twitter.com/Cno9shwnF5— Lee Costello (@PukeFootballPod) December 13, 2024
Deegan also believes that intelligent footballers are the ones who will benefit most from the new game, as they will be the best at decision-making under pressure.
In the current game, everything is very drilled and mundane, but with the extra space, there will be a lot more room for creativity.
"It is definitely going to be a lot more physically demanding on players, so that in itself could be a problem, the workload on players is going to be tough.
"I think smart footballers will flourish. Anybody with a brain, it is not always about being the quickest, it's about knowing when to run, where to run, hold the run a fraction a longer - the quickest way from A to B, is don't start at A."
It seems as though shifting player's mentalities to all of the adjustments will be one of the biggest challenges next season.
However, the fact that the game is likely to be a lot faster, more direct, and include more kicking, is certainly something that everyone can look forward to.
You an listen to the full interview with Conor Deegan on The Puke Football Podcast here: The Puke Interview: Conor Deegan
