McStay expects five or six rule changes to progress

Kevin McStay

Football’s Expert Advisory Group (EAG) chair Kevin McStay believes five or six proposed Gaelic football rule changes could progress beyond the Ryan Cup trials and into the pre-season competitions.

The proposals include four-point goals, a three-handpass limit, changes to kickouts, a backcourt restriction and an increase in substitutions from five to six.

"I think maybe five or six will get through,” McStay stated at a media briefing in Croke Park yesterday.

The former Mayo boss expects a clearer picture by mid-January after the proposals have been tested and reviewed.

He also suggested successful changes could potentially be introduced in the National League before Congress.

"We’d like to see whatever stands up going straight into the league, and then they would be formalised at Congress,” he said.

On four-point goals, McStay believes the value of a goal could decline as two-point scoring becomes more prominent.

"Over a period, you’d imagine the two-pointers are going to probably take primacy. We’ll reevaluate after the Ryan Cup,” he added.