Galway's Paul Conroy has made 170 passes so far in 2025, reaching his target with all but three of them.
From 66 kickpasses in seven games, he has been accurate with all but one. In the championship opener against New York, all four of his kickpasses from play were to an inside forward, and overall he created a scoring opportunity with just under a third of his in-play passes.
Over 10% of all his total passes so far in league and championship have created scoring opportunities, demonstrating why he is one of the best and most efficient passers in Gaelic football.
It's easy to see how within the old rules, a game of control, inches and efficiency, Galway's experienced midfielder was deemed the best in the country. Even given the number of kickpasses and forward passes he makes, the St James' clubman rarely gives the ball away.
The new rules promote the long-range passing, shooting and high-fielding abilities of the country's most talented players such as Conroy. However, they also remove the emphasis on control and increase the focus on conversion.
So while it was a no-brainer to position Conroy in the engine room for a Galway team looking to control the pace of the game, service their talented forwards but still limit risk and turnovers, Pádraic Joyce does not yet seem certain on how best to utilise the abilities of Conroy within the new rules.
During the league the Galway manager experimented with Conroy in the half-forward and full-forward line. Always drifting out, but despite having number eight on his back he spent more time positioned in the forward line coming out, than moving up with the play from midfield.
Positioned higher up the field, Conroy is able to provide more inside passes, and ultimately assists and scores per possession. Including two-pointers, and all while still being able to come out as a kick-out option.
The new rules make it more difficult for teams to retain possession, the 11x11 conditions mean it's now much harder to control the flow of the game and hold on to a lead when the opposition presses.
Teams now need to maximise their attacking opportunities and having Conroy closer to goal increases the chances of turning attacking position into scores. But can Galway afford to have him away from the middle third, losing his presence and leadership amid so many more contests and duels. And will he be able to recreate last year's heroics coming onto the play on the loop rather than from behind?
His output so far this year highlights the impact he makes around the opposition 45 and why Galway are tinkering to maximise it.
The reigning Footballer of the Year is always looking up in possession, and has assisted a total of 3-07 in his six league games and 45 minutes against New York. Of that, 2-02 came from his foot.
Against New York, Conroy replaced the injured John Maher after 23 minutes, playing the remainder of the game in the middle of the field. From there he assisted or was fouled for four points and also created three more scoring opportunities with excellent kickpasses inside.
One of those assists was a point for Matthew Tierney - the Galway half-forward has scored 1-03 off Conroy assists, more than any other player. The rangy Tierney often drifts into the inside line, with Conroy able to quickly identify the opening and target him with long but favourable passes. A tactic Roscommon will need to be aware of in their Connacht semi-final clash this afternoon.
Conroy has also scored 0-11 himself, including four two-pointers. He would've had four two-pointers between last year's All-Ireland semi-final and the decider, and his ability to convert from distance has created a lot of anticipation around how he will capitalise on the new scoring rule.
One of his two-pointers this year was a free against New York, and in total he has scored four of 13 two-point attempts in seven games. Giving him eight points from 13 shots, and including points inside the arc he has scored 0-11 from 16 attempts.
Talking to media earlier in the year he explained: "Before, it was all about percentages and working it into zones and where you'd kick from, whereas now if you take a couple of two-pointers and they don't go over, well, if you do get one or two of them you're still coming up with four or six points out of maybe five shots."
Given the time spent in the forward line, Conroy has only contested 25 kickouts, less than four per game. Claiming six marks in seven matches, meaning he has caught almost a quarter of the kickouts he has contested. Two of those came last time out against New York when lining out at midfield.
Injuries may dictate if he's needed at midfield against Roscommon, but whether there or coming out from centre forward, Galway must ensure Conroy is on the ball in the right places to provide as many forward kickpasses, assists, scores and marks as possible.
Ultimately, he has scored or assisted almost 0-4 per game in 2025. For Roscommon, stopping him will go a long way to restricting the Galway attack and causing an upset. For Galway, maximising the Footballer of the Year's talents within the new rules could be the difference in going one step further in 2025.
Watch Roscommon v Galway in the Connacht 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.
