Monaghan's Conor McManus has said that changes need to be made to Gaelic football after one of the worst All-Irelands in years took place.
Armagh beat Galway to upset the odds, winning their second-ever Sam Maguire Cup. However, a number of fans and pundits took umbrage with the spectacle of the All-Ireland final in 2024, especially after the epic hurling contest between Clare and Cork that took place the week before.
To address the issue of Gaelic football's declining appeal, there have been attempts to change the game and restore its excitement. Several rule changes have been trialed by Jim Gavin’s ‘Football Review Committee.’
Among the proposed changes are the 40-meter scoring arc, where a score from outside this arc would be worth two points, kickouts required to go beyond the 45-meter line, and rules mandating that teams keep a certain number of players in the opposition half.
McManus, one of the finest footballers in the country, gave his take on the current state of football in the country, stating that the All-Ireland final between Galway and Armagh was one of the worst finals in years.
“It was slow, laborious, and hard to watch. It’s not just specifically Armagh and Galway. That’s just football, the way it is,” said the Mirror via William Hill’s ‘Square Ball’ podcast
“The All-Ireland final will be highlighted. Something has to change within the rules of the realm of Gaelic football. It is just becoming, from a spectator point of view, a very tough watch.
“The atmosphere before the final was unbelievable. When the ball was thrown in, you couldn’t hear yourself. The crowd was going mad, and then within three seconds, Galway won possession, Armagh got back into shape, and you’d just think somebody turned off the volume.
Monaghan , Ireland, April 7, 2024: Conor McManus of Monaghan before the Ulster GAA Football Senior Championship preliminary round match between Monaghan and Cavan at St Tiernach's Park in Clones, Monaghan. (Photo By Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images) )“Everybody was like, ‘Here we go now. We are going sideways, backwards. We are keeping the ball. We are not going to get turned over.’
“As a player, when you are in that, you are 100 percent doing the right thing. Galway and Armagh didn’t really give a damn what that game was like to watch or look like as spectators.
“From a neutral point of view, watching it, that’s not how you want to see the game played. It won’t say that on the back of the Armagh medal: ‘This was one of the worst All-Irelands in years.’
One of the biggest issues for people watching the sport in the modern era is the "blanket defence." Teams, most notably up north, have set up with defensive structures to stifle and stop the better sides in the country.
It's had limited success in the long run, but Armagh's tactics this year reaped rewards. McManus believes other sides like his own (Monaghan), Derry, and Donegal could follow suit and emulate Armagh in years to come
“There will be so many other teams watching and thinking, ‘Right, well, if Armagh can do it, maybe if we can get our house in order and get things going, we can do the same.’
“Monaghan will certainly be thinking that way, as will other teams, particularly the Derrys and Donegals, in Ulster this year.
“They will be sitting there thinking that could have been them or should have been them, so it will give a lot of teams renewed hope but it will also make for an extremely competitive Championship next year—probably one of the most open and competitive it’s been for a long time.
“Because one from any of eight to ten teams will feel they can compete and get to the top end of it. Now, it’s not as easy as that.
“If you ask Armagh, they will tell you they suffered a lot of heartbreak before they got up the steps of the Hogan Stand. It opens it up. Over the last ten or fifteen years, you’ve had some really dominant teams. It just feels like it opens it up.”
