After the first weekend of football championship games, Ciarán Whelan noted the scoring return that Donegal and Derry amassed from restarts, emphasising the "potential" there is for teams to reap dividends from the long kickout.
As part of the new playing rules implemented by the FRC, kickouts must travel beyond the new 40-metre arc. As a result we are seeing not only high fielding but also more contests for possession around the middle.
Speaking on the latest edition of RTÉ GAA Podcast, when asked for an assessment of the various rule changes and what excites him, Whelan replied: "It's definitely the long kickout and the potential when you win that kickout of scores. The potential is massive, as the other team's structure is then so out of place."
The former Dublin star saw enough in Donegal's win over their neighbours in the Ulster preliminary round to back up his point.
"For Donegal, 1-18 of their 1-25 came from the first phase off the kickout. Derry's 1-12 of their 1-15 came straight from kickouts. It's now a massive part of the game and it's something there will be great debate about going forward. It does create that chaos, there is a lack of control.
"Derry were trying to go man-on-man on kickouts, trying to stop that Donegal wave, where they flick it on and have runners coming. Derry were trying to stop the guys that were good under the breaking ball, they put a lot of emphasis on it and got something out of it. And we're likely to see more of this from teams."
Overall Whelan does not have any "gripes with the rules", adding that "I think we're on a good path".
That said, he did pose one question: "Are players now afraid to tackle with aggression?" His response was "maybe", noting that "it's definitely become more of a running game. The advantages are with the player with the ball."
Also on the podcast was former Westmeath player and manager Dessie Dolan, who is also broadly in favour of football's new world order.
He commented: "There is excitement but a bit of confusion as well, a bit of mayhem, but it all adds up to a great spectacle."
However, he did highlight the frustration of conceding a close-in free for not handing the ball back to a player after a foul, adding that "referees love bringing the ball up 50 metres."
Listen to the RTÉ GAA Podcast on the RTÉ Radio Player, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Watch Tyrone v Cavan in the Ulster Football Championship on Sunday from 3.45pm 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 1
