Ciarán Whelan suspects the days of packed, deep-lying defences could be coming to an end as the new rules force major tactical rethinks across the country.
Last weekend's first round of Allianz Football League games saw counties get a first tase of the sweeping amendments to Gaelic football in a competitive environment, with some teams adjusting to the changed landscape more effectively than others.
The 'three-up, three-back' rule - which means teams have to keep at least three players in each half throughout the game - coupled with the continued allowance for goalkeepers to roam move into the opposing half of the field to bolster an attack, has sparked particular debate.
It creates a 12-v-11 situation, and that tweak alone might hugely alter counties approach, according to former Dublin midfielder Whelan.
"Obviously the changes are significant," he told the RTÉ GAA Podcast. "I'd be overall positive on what I saw last weekend. There's still stuff that has to play out.
"This weekend will be interesting. You'll be looking out for a few things. The interesting thing about last week, there were a couple of fast-paced games where teams went at it, and there were a couple of slow-paced games where the patterns remained similar to previous years.
"A lot of that was based around the 12v11 and maybe teams defending with a zonal 11. I'd be interested to see how that piece really develops because there is obviously a fair bit of debate around that.
"You've got to look at it I suppose from two perspectives.
"I'd be interested this weekend, do teams continue with that dropping deep and defending with 11? I think they'll be encouraged to push a little bit higher in terms of the two-point concession.
"But also, if that 12v11, if you're playing a slower game and you're letting the keeper come up... we've seen it's a big advantage. The advantage is also with the forwards here to maybe go at the defenders a little bit earlier if you are in a one-on-one and you have space.
"If you take the man on and you're fouled, if you're stopped up you can tap and go if you're still outside the 20; if you get an advantage it's an unlimited advantage, so there's a lot of things stacking in favour of the attacking team."
Whelan went a step further and aired his desire to see overly cautious approaches backfire.
"I hope everybody that drops deep and goes zonal with 11 gets beaten because I think the data might start beginning to show that tactically it might be naïve.
"Because you're less three players back there, there's more space, the forwards can get at you quicker and it just might encourage teams in the next few weeks to say, 'no we have to come out and play a bit and push out'.
"Down in the first half last weekend against Roscommon, I think Pat Havern had three technical frees from the edge of the arc. It was six points, it was massive in the context of the score they got. You don't want to see that becoming the narrative of a game either."
Watch Armagh v Tyrone in the Allianz Football League on Saturday from 5.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. Listen to Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
