Who needs those two-pointers if you can find the route to goal?
Well, Kerry can. Across the league, the newly crowned top-tier champions found the net 17 times and in their last three games, including the final against Mayo, they did not have any need for a two-pointer. They raised 63 white flags in those trio of games, while hitting the net six times for good measure.
League champions for a 24th time. No surprise as Jack O'Connor's men were the form team across the final month of the campaign.
Speaking at the launch of AIB's sponsorship of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, Kerry forward Paul Geaney, who netted in the opening half at Croke Park last Sunday, spoke about how the engine started to rev more freely in those concluding weeks.
"We had nice little bits, nice patches in all the games but we never managed to put it all together," he remarked.
"In Castlebar (against Mayo on 1 March) we were slow to get out of the traps; we had a nice period in the second half where we were leading by a point late on before they pipped us. Then Armagh came to town and we had to win.
"We were very strong against Armagh at home, especially in the first half. Then we were pretty good against Galway, last weekend wasn't too smooth or pretty but still a convincing enough win. We are starting to motor nicely but plenty more to work on.
"We got a nice few bits right in the league. Definitely nice to have a medal in the back pocket."
But back to Kerry's penchant for green flags throughout the league. Not surprising then to hear the Dingle native stress the importance of it.
"You are going to get a louder cheer more so than a two-pointer even though there is only a point difference" he said.
"A goal is a psychological thing in GAA at the moment. We got 17 of them in the league so far which is hugely positive from a forwards point of view. We got five of them up in Derry and we needed them all to win the game. It's good that we're finding them and that we'll continue to find them and start adding a couple of two-pointers to the mix. But 17 goals isn't a bad return from the league."
Last October when the Football Review Committee first trialled the new rules in the interpro games, a goal was worth four points. That upgrade did not come to pass for the start of the inter-county season.
"My initial view was when they went back from 4 to 3 for a goal that they should not have," was Geaney's reaction.
"Down the line statisticians will say that it is more beneficial to take a shot from distance, get your two-pointer rather than try and work it in for a goal. It is what it is for the time being."
That said, the Kingdom veteran feels the opportunity to kick a two-pointer for technical fouls is somewhat punitive.
"Free brought up 50 metres it feels very penalising," he added.
"And likewise [awarding of a free 50 metres on] for a three-man breach. Then you can bring it out to kick for a two-pointer after a technical foul, that's the one that would annoy me a little bit, being awarded a two-point shot and then pinning your opposition in from the kick-out, having a 50-50 chance of winning that ball back.
"The other side of the two-pointer is that it pulls the defence out a little bit to try and stop those shots. That then gives us a chance to exploit goals in behind.
"Generally, on the new rules it would like to see four points for a goal and that technical fouls not being a two-point shot. Why not have a free on the halfway line instead?"
Similar to a number of managers and players, Geaney has an issue with the handing back of the ball after a foul being committed.
"If you drop the ball on the spot it might cut out the wrestling for the ball that then goes on, you have all that and then one team gets the 50-metre gain"
Watch Donegal v Derry in the Ulster Football Championship on Sunday from 1.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
Watch The Sunday Game from 9.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on all matches on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. Listen to updates from around the country on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio
Listen to the RTÉ GAA Podcast on the RTÉ Radio Player, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts
Watch The Sunday Game from 9.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on all matches on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. Listen to updates from around the country on Sunday Sport on RTÉ RadioListen to the RTÉ GAA Podcast on the RTÉ Radio Player, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts
