In 2024, from the All-Ireland quarter-final stage onwards, only one team – eventual champions Armagh – managed to score more than one goal in a game when Barry McCambridge and Conor Turbitt netted against Roscommon. Only one game, again involving the Orchard County as they defeated Kerry in the semi-final, saw both sides find the net.
Of the eight counties involved in provincial finals, only three managed to score goals – two of those being losing sides Clare and Louth in Munster and Leinster respectively.
LANDSLIDE VOTE MEANS NEW RULES FOR FOOTBALL
"The defensive structure in so many teams involves getting 14, 15 players behind the ball leaving it very difficult for teams to penetrate and you get a lot of this sidewards passing of the ball that really frustrates so many players and supporters alike.
"At least with the new rules it’s going to be different and it’s going to take a bit of time, there’s going to be a bit of tweaking required. But I think it’s for the better."
Looking specifically at who could make the most of the radical changes, Canavan believes that the return of Michael Murphy to Donegal – reported to have been a goalkeeper in recent challenge games – could see the Tir Chonaill County take full advantage.
"If you look at two of the main rules, one of them involves playing three up, you have to keep three men up, and you have the advanced mark with that.
"Teams are going to play with a big target man inside so right away you think well Michael Murphy has come back, some reckon to play goals. Teams with the big man inside, he doesn’t have to worry now about tracking back because in the old rules if you had a big cumbersome full-forward, teams would exploit it. They’d say 'right, let’s run him round the park.’
"Now they don’t have to do that, they can stay up."
Canavan also envisions a massively open championship with the very real possibility of a fifth different winner in five years.
"The fact that Armagh came out of the pack last year, that will give encouragement to a lot of teams who will see themselves as being very much on a par.
"Their victory last year was remarkable, not in the fact that they won it but in recent years the amount of heartbreaking defeats they would have had, games they could have won, should have won, didn't. The amount of penalty shoot-outs they actually lost.
"The fact that (Kieran) McGeeney was able to keep those players together, keep them in such a positive mindset to bounce back from that time and time again and get them into a position where they were really hard to break down, they played some great football.
"Why would they not be a tough force to play against again?
"The Dublin situation is fascinating. It’s bad enough losing James McCarthy but Brian Fenton, the finest midfielder of his generation, to be going out into championship games without him definitely doesn’t leave them the same force.
"Kerry, Jack O’Connor will want to bounce back there. Mayo, talk about heartbreaking defeats and nobody suffered more than they did and they lost a penalty shoot-out last year to Derry. They came close to beating Dublin, close to beat Galway so they’re not a million miles away.
"I'm certain that Kevin McStay will be using Armagh in so many of his teams-talks in that if they can persevere to go on and lift Sam there’s no reason why Mayo can’t either."
