Gaelic football enters new era - and I have reservations

Allianz League Division One - Tyrone v Derry

Date: Saturday 25 January Throw-in: 18:00 GMT Venue: Healy Park, Omagh

Coverage: Watch live on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website; text updates & highlights on BBC Sport website

Two-time Ulster Championship winner Chrissy McKaigue will be part of the BBC's Gaelic Games coverage in 2025, starting with Tyrone v Derry on Saturday. Here, the recently-retired All-Star defender explains why he is sceptical about the new playing rules which will be introduced this weekend.

The new league season always brings excitement and intrigue, but this season will be unlike anything we've seen before.

To be honest, I have a lot of reservations about the version of Gaelic football we're going to see over the next lot of weeks.

The Football Review Committee, which has driven these changes, are referring to the new rules as 'enhancements', but I'm not convinced.

For example, I struggle to see how the new kickout will have a positive impact. I don't think a kickout having to go beyond the 40-metre arc will enhance the game. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Another one that troubles me is the solo and go. It doesn't necessarily have to be the person that is directly fouled that has to take the solo and go, it can be passed in the same play to a team-mate to take the solo and go. That will make it difficult to officiate.

There seems to be a consensus that a lot of teams will utilise the opportunity to bring goalkeepers into the attack and create a 12v11 overload. But such a pattern of play will make it difficult for the opposition to retrieve possession. The possession-driven game is something we've been trying to remove from our game and I just don't see how the 12v11 addresses that.

It won't be all bad, I'm sure. There is clear logic behind a 1v1 throw-in battle while some of the tweaks could produce faster, high-scoring games, which is what people want.

I've heard that players have found the new version of the game even more physically taxing during pre-season challenge matches. If that transfers into competitive action, we're going to see a lot slower ebbs and flows late in games, which is at odds with what the FRC want to see.

It is possible that the GAA is trying to do too much at the one time. We've possibly missed a trick in Gaelic Games in not tweaking the game over a period of time to avoid a raft of radical changes being introduced at the same time.

It was never going to be straightforward anyway but the fact that every rule change that the FRC put forward was passed at Congress will make it incredibly difficult for the referees, coaches and players who have known grown up and lived and breathed a different version of the game since they were no age.

It's important to remember the National League holds more importance with the way it influences the seeding for the championship, so it makes it slightly unfair on the teams.

These are just my reservations at this stage. It's a gut feeling. I may have scepticism but I'm willing to give this new version of Gaelic football every possible chance in the National League.

Only after seeing games and how players adapt to change will I make a more considered analysis. But having stepped back from the inter-county scene, gauging the teething problems is where the intrigue lies for me this year.

With that in mind, there is little sense in trying to make predictions for the season.

What you can reasonably forecast is there will be a lot of excitement across the opening weekend of the National League.

Armagh travel to Salthill in their first game as All-Ireland champions to face Galway, the team they beat in the final. That would be usually be enough for one Saturday evening, but throwing Tyrone v Derry and Dublin v Mayo into the mix means we'll likely have a lot to digest.

There is no form guide to go on for Tyrone v Derry. Both teams are under new management and nobody really knows what to expect, but even with the rules changes, this is always a fiery fixture worth watching.

In terms of Derry, I've found the narrative around last season pretty interesting. Derry won the McKenna Cup and a Division One title and got to the quarter-finals of the All-Ireland, but there has been a narrative that it was a 'nightmare' championship.

My opinion is that Derry had a championship that fell short of our ambitions and standards. Across the year, it was a decent enough season.

Yes, the championship fell below the standards and expectations we had set, but there will definitely be a big drive to improve on that and ensure a successful first season under Paddy Tally.

And there may be some new rules in place, but Tyrone v Derry is a fixture that speaks for itself. It's a big Ulster derby and I'm sure there will be a cracking atmosphere inside Healy Park on Saturday evening.

Who knows, maybe I'll leave Omagh with a much more positive outlook on 'enhanced' Gaelic football. That's part of what makes it so intriguing.

Chrissy McKaigue was speaking to BBC Sport NI's Matt Gault