Ulster GAA boss Kieran Donnelly has given a warm welcome to most of the new rules after his side’s Railway Cup win on penalties over Connacht last Saturday.

Ulster won on a score of 2-1 after the teams drew on a scoreline of 2-23 to 4-15 in an exciting encounter which showed how the game could be speeded up and vastly improved after recommendations from Jim Gavin’s Football Review Committee.

And while Fermanagh boss and Brookeborough native Donnelly was in favour of most of the changes, he felt that three of the new rules did not add significant value to the game, from his perspective.

But he said it was a real honour to manage Ulster to victory and added that the players showed real pride in the jersey.

“It was a massive honour, and I gladly accepted the offer to manage this fine group of players, and it was a most enjoyable weekend.

“The new rules brought their own excitement and combined with the fact that you were representing Ulster and there was a massive pride in the lads in the way they performed on the Saturday night.”

When asked for a general comment on the rules, he said: “I think they are necessary as I felt something had to change and I think the FRC group are men of the highest calibre coaching-wise and I think they will be happy with how last weekend went.

“I think that people were 80 per cent happy with the rule and when you have people coming away liking the vast majority of the rules it is encouraging.”

Donnelly added that he thought the rules brought a new shape and variety to the play.

“The game was faster, and I thought it was a good product on a Saturday night.

“There is no doubt that some tweaks will have to be made, they will be made in the review this week.”

For Donnelly, the most significant change has been the shape of the pitch and the fact that you were holding three men in attack all the time so that “when you looked up there was a natural shape to the pitch."

“It is not something that is foreign to the players as when we play school football, we usually hold three players up front and when I played club football it was the same," he continued.

“You always want to use the strength of your forwards and that is something that has been brought into the game.

“It allows a quicker transition and a variety to the play and that is the one that would bring the players and the spectators the most enjoyment.”

But Donnelly is less enamoured with the kick-out having to go beyond the 40-metre arc.

“I am not in favour of it as the skill of the short kick out is a massive skill. The decision-making of players it is open to them to know when to use the kick-out and when you are looking to manage out a game or playing against a strong press- this new rule inhibits that with all the kickouts going long.

“And it is one that the players did not enjoy that rule and it allows teams to go with an aggressive zonal press and the arc is doing the zone for you.”

But Donnelly is in favour of the one-on-one for the throw-in as sometimes the two-on-two can be messy.

“At least you have a clean contest with one on one.”

On the question of having four points for a goal and two points for a 45, Donnelly shares the general consensus that these changes do not work as four points for a goal could lead to even more packed defences and if a player or keeper saves a certain goal, they could be hit immediately with a two-pointer from the 45 which does not seem fair and sometimes 45’s are given incorrectly.

“On the goal, if two goals go in, the game could be over after 15 minutes. I would prefer the old system.”

But he likes the two points for a kick on or beyond the 40-metre arc: “That is something us coaches would welcome I feel and it is something we can practice."

He is also in favour of the disciplinary measure where a player must hand the ball back to his opponent when a free is awarded against him with one caveat: “I agree with it and the hand back is ok if the player is beside you, but it that is not the case the ball should be placed on the ground.

“I think that discipline has to improve across the board from everybody and lack of discipline is something that has crept in across the board.

“Look at rugby and the way they can control their discipline, that is something we can learn from.

“These rules are designed to force us to be better and it is up to us coaches to stress to players that discipline is all important.”