The era of the superstar forward is back, and while the arc may be inflating the numbers to a pretty big degree, it's hard to ignore some of the tallies being put up by some attackers across the country.
For years, trudged down in the defence-heavy quagmires, ace forwards were blotted out by bodies.
Over the last 10 All-Ireland finals, on two occasions three points has been enough to be joint top-scorer (2015, 2024) with a couple of 0-05s in there too (2019, 2023).
Shooting rates may remain pretty linear, but given the sheer number of orange flags being raised, there is a growing sense that 'finishers’ are being given a greater license to take a pop from less certain areas.
It’s only a matter of time before xP (expected point) becomes a more familiar phrase in the GAA lexicon, and counties are discovering that they have the talent to exceed it.
It’s no surprise to see Shane Walsh top the Division 1 scoring charts with 0-30 in three and a half games having been handed a bench role for the first half of their opening win over Armagh.
The obvious argument is that in old money, he’d be sitting on 19 points, but the question is, how many of those shots from outside 40 metres would he have taken on if there wasn’t that added bonus of an extra point?
Across the board in Division 1, two-shot conversion rates sit at 36%, a figured that would have horrified managers in the past but with that bonus ball factored in, will be deemed acceptable.
Take a return of 0-07 from 10 shots as being par for acceptance in 2024, then that 36% is still racking up 0-07 this year too.
Throw into the mix the recent returns of Kerry’s David Clifford, Tyrone’s Darragh Canavan and Dublin’s Con O’Callaghan – just the 4-11 between them last weekend – and the GAA really have a marketing dream on their hands. Rian O'Neill's imminent return to the Armagh panel adds another layer.
A word for Sean Bugler, who has a superb 0-19 for Dublin coming from deep and all but one point coming from play. And who would have expected to see Tyrone defender Michael McKernan fifth in the top-tier scoring chart right now? Four two-pointers from play have him riding high.
The two-point conversion rate in Division 2 is even higher, an outstanding 49% - and Down’s Pat Havern is really enjoying these new enhancements.
The Saval man is a noted full-forward who often switched to midfield for periods of games, but around that arc area he is causing mayhem right now.
Havern has 0-35 across four games even with Down losing three of those fixtures, with nine orange flags raised – three from play.
Eight players in the second division have already more than 20 points in their opening four games, with Cork’s Chris Óg Jones the league’s top goalscorer with five green flags raised for the Rebels having managed three in his previous 15 league games for the county.
Like Division 1, 0-30 leads the way in the third tier with Laois’ Mark Barry on that tally. What’s more impressive is that Barry has only two orange flags to his name, meaning he has converted 28 shots in just four games.
Surprise packets Offaly, who dropped their first points in a narrow loss to Fermanagh last weekend, have two players – Keith O’Neill (2-15) and Dylan Hyland (1-15) - in the top five of the scoring charts with Shane Tierney (1-06) also riding high.
The honour of being top scorer across all divisions belongs to the Division 4 though, and more specifically Tipperary’s Sean O’Connor.
The Clonmel man has amassed an amazing 3-27 with 3-13 coming from play. Just three of his scores have been two-pointers, so he’s shooting the lights out.
So while it’s clear that the two-point scoring is inflating figures, it is also obvious that the rule enhancements seem to be giving forwards a new lease of life.
The amount of shots is proving similar to 2023 figures albeit it up a bit on 2024, but it’s the position of those shots and the risk factor too.
The balance may not have tipped completely back to the forward, but it’s hard to deny that the scales have moved at least.
