Gaelic Football Has Never Been Better – Why Is Robbie Brennan Complaining?

Robbie Brennan’s post-match comments this weekend reek of reluctance to accept what is unfolding before our eyes; a revolution in Gaelic football. Instead of embracing the exhilarating, high-stakes spectacle we now witness, he dismisses it as some bizarre hybrid: “It’s outdoor basketball with a bit of soccer zonal, with 11 behind the ball defending and a bit of rugby thrown in right around the kick-outs”

What Brennan fails to grasp is that Gaelic football, for the first time in years, is delivering edge-of-the-seat drama at every turn. We are witnessing a sport that has evolved beyond the stagnant, risk-averse, possession-obsessed farce of the past decade, where teams endlessly recycled the ball, where players were too afraid to take chances, and where the atmosphere in the stands was dead. What we have now is a game alive with jeopardy, risk-taking, and pure, unfiltered battle.

The Evolution of a Sport

Instead of a game slowed to a walking pace, Gaelic football in 2025 is a multi-faceted warzone. Look at the dynamics we get to enjoy:

• Goalkeepers pushing into opposition halves, launching attacks, creating overloads, or taking on shots. How is this anything but thrilling?

• Defensive structures that are constantly evolving, forcing teams to mastermind their way through complex setups, creating moments of brilliance rather than endless hand-passing across the 45.

• Chaos in the middle third, where teams throw their bodies on the line for breaking ball, where high fielding is still an art, and where physicality meets tactical nous.

• Attacking play laced with risk, where every counterattack has the potential to decide a game, and teams are no longer shackled by fear.

What part of this is not Gaelic football? This is Gaelic football, it’s just a better version of it.

Does Brennan Not Remember the Dull Years?

The real scrum was the mess of years gone by, when the game was reduced to slow, lateral hand-passing and 13-man defenses. The type of football that drained the life out of spectators, turned packed stands into hushed murmurs, and made some matches an endurance test rather than a spectacle.

Brennan, like many others reluctant to change, wants to cling to the old ways. But the truth is, Gaelic football was broken. And now, through a combination of rule adjustments, coaching evolution, and sheer innovation from players, it has been fixed.

The Perfect Balance

What we have now is the ideal mix; a game that demands intelligence and physicality in equal measure. The brute force of the middle third clashes with the tactical chess played along the sidelines. Managers have never had more to think about, players have never had more responsibility, and spectators have never had more to enjoy.

Yes, it’s different from 20 years ago. That’s the point. Progress is uncomfortable for those stuck in the past, but for those who embrace it, Gaelic football has never been more captivating.

So, to those who still cry “this isn’t Gaelic football,” take a look around. The sport is alive, thriving, and more unpredictable than ever. And if that makes you uneasy, maybe it’s not the game that’s the problem…