Lights - Cameras - Action! The GAA relaunched their 125 Celebrations in style with the floodlit national league opener between Dublin and Tyrone providing the type of fireworks supporters love best. In comparison to the under-whelming 'Late Late Special', this second effort at take-off was spectacular. A full house, music, night sky spectacular and a cracking game of football served up by the four in a row Leinster champions and the current All-Ireland holders. The quality of the score-taking and the flow of scores bodes well for the league about to roll out before us and if the new rules are the principle contributors to this 'total football' we witnessed then count me in as a supporter of the GAA's latest drive at the elimination of cynicism. This league season is of course a very unique one. With county teams banned from collective training during the months of November and December of last year, teams arrived at the start line unsure of their form or fitness. In many ways it is a real test of the type of committed player you have on your panel. Is he a self-starter? Can he train on his own? Will he arrive in early January in the type of shape you need to be in these days with the single calendar leagues and the seamless transition to championship fare? Throw in the introduction of the new rules, the fact that the league does not have any impact on your championship standings this year and it's pretty obvious there is a lot of uncharted ground in front of players, coaches, referees, administrators and supporters. It will add to the excitement and hope that each county sets out with at this time of the GAA year. Of course the opening rounds will be the acid test for the new rules but since their introduction during the provincial leagues, the reaction has been pretty positive. Readers of this column will know I was initially outside with the other jury members because the bedding in period might prove to be a little mis-leading. In an effort to keep a good vibe with the key stakeholders of players and managers the men in black took a liberal enough approach to the application of these yellow cards and appear to have outlawed the flashing of red cards altogether. As each week of January passed, the average number of yellows dropped - players obviously realising that match-time, that time of the week when your training is rewarded with the best part (playing), can be cut short very quickly indeed. They adopted and the action was certainly more open and expansive. But in the 66 games played between McKenna Cup, FBD League, O'Byrne and McGrath Cup, ONLY two red cards were produced. That amount of games equates roughly to a championship campaign and you hardly need any evidence to know the championship average is much higher than that. It will be extremely interesting to compare statistics for the 2008 league and the current one when the month of May is reached. The yellow must be applied consistently and I believe it will. As we get familiar with the six specific infractions, the officials will realise they are easily distinguished from other fouls and MUST be applied. In an overall sense, I feel these rules will float and we will have a much different game this summer, one where skill, speed and accuracy become king, perhaps for the first time in the history of the game. At the early games I attended, the area of substitutions provided tactical thought and the replacements for yellows (six allowed in total) mean the managers are slow to initiate tactical replacements. Watch this particular facet of the game as the summer rolls out. The early football on offer is above the usual standard and as fitness levels increase it might lead to better marking and tackling and perhaps a reduction in the score-lines. But the standard mix of teams can still be identified: those that would very like to win the league, those that want promotion, others that want respectability and consolidation and then some of the big teams who will use the seven games to find a couple of new players. Tyrone started off as raging 2/1 favourites but keep in mind All Ireland champions have not won the NFL in 22 years, Meath being the last team to pull that trick off. I like the chances of Galway (7/1) but Kerry can always make head-way if they show interest. And Jack O' Conor does not do 'lack of interest' so expect a showing from his team on this, his second coming. Donegal are priced at 14/1 which reflects their recent league and championship form but certainly not their McKenna Cup efforts. The bookmakers remain unconvinced about them and in their place put a few bob on Derry. They too are under new management and will want to have a real go at retaining their NFL crown. At the time of writing this column I had just watched Cork give a useful enough looking Meath team a bit of a trimming. Their performance in winning that opening league encounter confirmed them as a real team of ambition and one that will not stay too long in Division 2 because their championship aspirations will demand they play at the highest level. But just as this squad took a few serious steps forward, they announced their intention to join the Cork hurlers strike at the end of the league if it is not resolved. Jack O'Connor and his merry men must have exhaled with relief - whenever their hegemony is threatened (and this Cork squad have great potential) history tells them Cork can be relied upon to self-destruct. And Tadgh Kennelly has arrived home too for the summer assault. So, only a month old, the GAA season has already opened with a burst: new rules, a sell-out 82,000 blockbuster, the Cork and Offaly strike and on it goes. In the world of the GAA, the action never really stops - on or off the field! Tweet

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