The FRC report stats prove beyond doubt the rule changes have been a resounding success

Interestingly, although fouls dropped as the season went on from just under 32 in the League to just over 26.5 in the Sam Maguire, they were slightly up on last year's 24, at 25. The FRC put this down to three-up breaches and dissent fouls, among other things.

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The average number of passes to a goalkeeper during inter-county Championship games in 2023 and 2024.

This year, that figure was 1.4 per game.

During the League it was 9.6 per game, but a tweak to the rules around the goalkeeper sent number ones packing back into their goals again.

It was decreed that sides had to keep four players back at all times rather than three, meaning a 12 v 11 attack with the goalie was now an 11 v 11 attack.

And there was no real point in bringing your goalie up unless he could both play and shoot from long range like an Ethan Rafferty.

The report noted that the rule encouraged forward play and discouraged passive recycling but also stated that it may need refinement at underage level with the position less attractive to younger players and the kick-out going beyond the 40-metre arc an issue.

The number of goal chances per game in 2025. Last year's figure was 4.2, with the actual figure for this year 6.1

While concerns around the weighting of a goal (three points) and a two-pointer remain, fears that the two-point arc would reduce the amount of goal chances appear unfounded.