Ó Sé Explains Why New GAA Rules Have Turned Kerry Man From Club Player Into County Star

When it comes to the All-Ireland final between Kerry and Donegal, most onlookers will feel that the Munster champions' chances in this fixture will come largely down to the performance of David Clifford.

You can see why that is the case. The Fossa was absolutely exceptional in the semi-final win over Tyrone, racking up a personal tally of 1-9 and being the driving force behind a excellent team performance.

Many feel he will have to produce a similar display if Kerry are to overcome the juggernaut that is Donegal later this month. In saying that, some other players from The Kingdom have shown that they are more than capable of stepping up in recent times.

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While David Clifford has been Kerry's best player in 2025, you could argue that he has not been their most improved.

Joe O'Connor has gone from being a relatively unheralded member of the Kerry panel to one of the best players in the country in 2025, having nabbed the RTÉ man-of-the-match award ahead of Clifford after the win over Tyrone.

The midfielder's recent rise has been a remarkable one, with some feeling that the new GAA rules in place for the 2025 season have played a major role in that.

Writing in the Irish Times, Darragh Ó Sé suggested that the laws currently in place have allowed a player with the skillset of Joe O'Connor to thrive, with the midfielder having previously deemed as more of an excellent club player than top class inter-county operator.

The new rules have moved his game to a whole new level. He was always a decent, consistent player at club level, but in the old game you weren’t sure how useful he’d be at intercounty.

The simple reason for that is that goalkeepers were going short with most of the kickouts so a big fetching midfielder like Joe O’Connor wasn’t going to shine...

When 80 per cent of the kickouts were being chipped to the corner-back, who is going to know – or care – if a player like Joe O’Connor is worth having in the team? He might only have three or four sent his way altogether in a game.

More aerial contest in the middle third has certainly benefitted the likes of Joe O'Connor, with Kerry as a whole thriving in a game that now greater rewards players for their ability on the ball.

Both them and Donegal have proven to be the biggest beneficiaries of the new rules, setting up what should an all-time classic in Croke Park on July 27th.