KEVIN CASSIDY: It’s Naomh Conaill’s to lose

THERE has been a lot of talk and movement around the trial of the new rules and a number of challenge games have taken place.

Some of these challenge games involved club teams and others involving county players. First of all, even if we don’t get anything out of these new proposed rule changes then at least the process is correct this time around.

What I mean by this is that the Football Review Committee have taken the sensible approach and these proposed changes have been discussed, dissected and trialled extensively long before they are taken to the voting stage.

How many times have we seen rules parachuted in without any consultation or trials only for them to be thrown out a year or so later?

This new approach of having smart football brains involved at the initial stage results in us being left with the best possible solution and one that would actually work at the end of this process, as opposed to trailing something at the start of the year, only to realise that it’s not fit for purpose.

The latest news coming out of the Football Review Committee boardroom is that they plan to run a number of interprovincial games which will be open to the public and televised.

These games played with the proposed new rules will make for interesting viewing for everyone involved. After we see them in the flesh, then we will get a better understanding of how they might look all the way down to club level.

Like I said, even if at the end of this process and we don’t find something that is suitable for change then at least we are moving in the right direction and sooner rather than later football will once again return to what it once was.

The club championship here in Donegal heads into its final round of group games. On Sunday evening we will know where teams sit on the table, which four teams are in the quarter-finals and who faces who in the play-offs to take up the other four spots.

Like I said many weeks ago, I think our championship here in Donegal needs a restructuring because realistically it’s only after this week’s games that things will now become interesting.

After this week’s games, the trap door is gone and we are down to knockout football. For me, you can only create that real championship bite when there are no second chances, so the fact that its winner takes all will result in these games going up a number of notches.

I fully understand the group games mean very little as it’s all just about getting through to the knockout stages, but at this early stage, you would have to say that Glenties men are hot favourites to retain the title.

There are a number of other teams who feel that they are in with a chance, but they have a hell of a lot of work to do over the coming weeks so we will keep an eye on how that unfolds. But for the time being it’s Naomh Conaill’s to lose.