NEVER did I think I’d be looking forward to the 12th, but this is the date set to allow us to return to training in groups of 15.
The next big announcement we will be eagerly awaiting will be a return to playing games.
One step at a time though, and I for one can’t wait for the chance to pull on the boots (albeit in a management capacity) and take to the fields again.
The big difference in this season's pre-season training will be the fact that it is taking place in the brighter evenings, on firmer sod and in better weather.
As a player, the most enjoyable time to be playing football is spring and summer time so this should add an extra spring in the step for each and every player returning to the training fields.
As we know, over the last couple of years, rules changes have been implemented into our game. Some for the better and some for the worse.
For me, a rule change should only ever be made to improve our game and to speed up the play.
One rule change that I dislike a lot is the attacking Mark.
As a former forward, you might think that this is a rule change that I would have liked, but in fact it has had the opposite effect on me.
I played many years for Ireland in the International Rules series where the Mark is an important skill in the game but it is a skill suited solely to the hybrid game, not gaelic football.
One of the main reasons why I am not a fan of the Mark is because it slows our game down. Adding to the amount of time the ball is not in play does not benefit the game.
The natural instinct of a forward should be to take the ball at speed, turn, take a man on or set up a movement of play that creates opportunities to impact the scoreboard.
It should never be to collect a ball on the full, more than likely from a lateral kick pass, stop suddenly and raise your hand to take a kick which you have 15 seconds to take.
I’m no expert on sports injuries but that sudden stop movement after making a Mark, particularly if a defender is close enough to apply pressure, could potentially create long term injuries to knees and hamstrings.
Not only does this rule slow our game down, but it impacts how a forward plays the game nowadays.
They are thinking about making a run to gain the Mark in a pocket of space, instead of chequered runs to collect and shoot over the shoulder, and having that individual duel with their markers.
When I think of the battle between a forward and a defender, you think of Kieran McKeever (Derry) v Peter Canavan, Francie Bellew v Owen Mulligan, Enda McNulty v Paddy Bradley, Paul Higgins v Joe Brolly just to name a few.
How many battles like that can we think of in the current game?
There are very few, and it’s to do with the rule changes and how teams set up.
Yes, we have teams that set themselves up defensively and I have absolutely no problem with that.
A manager and coach have the right to set their team up the best way that they see fit for them to get results, so if a team has a defensive mindset, it's up to their opponents to find a way around this.
I’m often asked, would I like to be a forward in today’s game and my answer to that is simple. Yes, of course I would.
My reasons are also simple.
As a player, you want to challenge yourself and no better way to do that than to play against crowded defences.
I have been double-marked in my time and I still managed to score so my mindset would not change.
You want to try and play at least one step ahead of your man, and make that move into an area to receive the ball where you can cause damage.
Where you can get an instant shot in or where you can take on a man.
The modern-day game for a forward means that you should be thinking a bit more about your game and having a greater awareness of what’s going on around you.
Without sounding arrogant, I always had the belief that I was better than the player marking me, therefore this gave me the confidence to play as I played.
To play as a forward first and foremost and do what I could do best and what I was in the team to do, which was to score.
The focus for a forward should always be to score.
If you wear numbers 10 to 15 in any team, then your primary responsibility should be to impact the scoreboard although some managers may disagree with this.
Yes, you may have to track back and create a turnover for your team on occasions, but hard work has always been part and parcel of playing.
It’s when you create that turnover that really matters.
Are you happy to filter back up the field at your leisure, or are you thinking how can I impact the scoreboard?
If it is that of impacting the scoreboard, then you will get into areas of the field to support your team-mates where this can happen.
Inside the attacking 45-metre line.
A five- or six-second burst of pace gets a player there and fitness levels should not be an issue nowadays.
I’ve already stated this but scoring should always be to the forefront of a forward’s mind.
To score in the game presently, should not be to make the Mark and kick a ball over the bar with no pressure applied.
It should be to score using speed of thought, speed of movement and speed of play.
