Five football trends in new rules compared 12 months ago

Close to the halfway mark of the National Football League, what trends in the new rules are we seeing compared to the same point a year ago? Here are five...

Kerry led by 12 points against Galway on Saturday but the game ended up as a draw. The cocktail of strong winds with the kick-out and two-point changes continue to make the outcome of games far more unpredictable. Pic: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne

Significantly smaller winning margins

The average winning margin is now just over 4.16 points in contrast to 6.2 after three rounds last year. The difference between teams at the final whistle has come down in all four divisions but none more so than Division 3 where it has diminished from an average of 10.08 points to 4.5.

That has plenty to do with Leitrim and to a lesser extent Antrim being relegated to Division 4 where Leitrim have at least been competitive this time around. Leitrim’s losing average after their opening three league games last year was 19.67 points. The tightest margin this season has been in Division 4 (3.83) followed by Division 2 (4.08) and Division 1 (4.25).

Similarly wild swings

Welcome to Gaelic football’s lexicon “12 points is a dangerous lead”. It’s just as well Kerry had moved 12 ahead of Galway on Saturday for a 11-point lead over Dublin at the same Tralee venue in Round 3 last year wasn’t enough to earn them a point. Louth had wiped out an 11-point deficit to Meath on Saturday only for Jack Flynn to turn hero once more. In Round 2 in 2025, Armagh led Tyrone by 14 points at half-time before they eventually won by six. Galway were almost pipped by Derry having been nine ahead at the break. The cocktail of strong winds with the kick-out and two-point changes continue to make the outcome of games far more unpredictable.

Slightly fewer two-pointers

In dreadful weather and underfoot conditions, this is not wholly surprising as much as players are becoming more proficient in kicking them, and teams appear to be setting up more opportunities. A total of 196 two-pointers have been kicked across the 48 games compared to 199 at the same point last year. A total of 57 two-pointers have been scored in Division 1’s first three rounds whereas there were 49 orange flags raised 12 months ago. The numbers are also up in Division 3 (44 from 31) and 3 (41 from 39) but Division 2’s total is considerably down from this stage in 2025. A total of 54 two-pointers is reasonable but in the opening stages last year they went crazy with 81.

Slightly higher scoring and goals

As you might guess because of the drop in two-pointers, there have been fewer scores in Division 2, a decrease of just over 10%, and there has also been a smaller reduction in Division 3 (3.8%). However, scoring has gone up in excess of 16% in Division 1 and there has been a marginal improvement in Division 4 (4.4%). Overall, scoring is almost 1.5% more than this juncture last season and goals are also on the rise although that has a lot to do with them almost doubling in Division 1, from 17 after Round 3 in 2025 to 32 now. The average number of goals per games now is 2.29 (110 goals in 48 games) compared to 2.16 last year (104 in 48).

Same clock/hooter issues

In Tullamore on Sunday, the second half was 15 seconds underway before the clock began. Despite some TV production teams now dedicating a floor manager to watch the stadium clock and relay it to the outside broadcast truck, it is a highly imperfect and stressful exercise trying to synchronise it with their own. In Letterkenny’s O’Donnell Park on Sunday, the full-time hooter sounded two seconds before time was up on TV. That’s not to mention the flashpoint in the Kerry-Roscommon game in Round 1. When do the problems stop being teething ones and real issues?