Former Dublin star Ciarán Kilkenny has given his endorsement for the experimental four-point goal rule that has been in place in the early weeks of the college Gaelic football season.

A series of new rules - separate to the now not-so-new rules introduced in 2025 - have been used in the early weeks of the college season with the four-point goal among them.

Gaelic football's Expert Advisory Group (EAG), chaired by former Roscommon and Mayo boss Kevin McStay, introduced 11 updated rules to be monitored during the Ryan Cup with around 15 third-level games to be assessed.

It is hoped the extra reward for raising a green flag will negate any anticipated over-reliance on shooting from distance since the introduction of the two-point arc.

Small sample size though it may be, Kilkenny - now in charge of Technological University Dublin (TUD) - sees merit in the four-pointer and feels the excitement of the ball hitting the back of the net is something that every fan wants to see.

"Four points for a goal, brilliant. It really encourages teams to go for goals," Kilkenny told RTÉ Sport after his side's final Ryan Cup game of the season, a narrow loss to UCD at Belfield.

"It takes a bit of time. It took us probably a game or two to get used to it actually being four and counting it up when you're doing the scoreboard."

A feature of the play in these early games in the third-level competition has seen teams make a point of keeping their full-forward line well manned - and often sending an extra physical presence from midfield into the edge of the square as they look to set up an attack that may lead to a two-point effort.

There is no more dangerous ball in Gaelic football than a long point attempt that drops short - something teams may be more conscious of with the chance of a four-point play in mind. Is the target man back in demand? Kilkenny suggests they might well be.

"Yeah, definitely. We'd a great lad there, Donnacha Maguire from Westmeath, who got a great goal there, big body around the square," Kilkenny pointed out, referring to his side's only green flag of the evening at Dave Billings Park which saw midfielder Maguire divert a dropping two-point attempt past the UCD keeper into the net.

"Definitely teams have been looking at that and getting big bodies in around the square, just in terms of if that ball does drop short or if you can isolate them inside. It's been interesting.

"Look I think people want to see goals. There's an excitement piece around goals.

"With the old rules - again, these are two different ways of looking at it - of course, you want to see long-range shooting in terms of two points, but does that take away from people going for goals then as well? So it definitely is an interesting one."

Predictably, not all rules seem destined to make the cut. The edict limiting handpassing to no more than three consecutive passes before the ball must be played with the foot appears to have little enthusiasm - anecdotally at least - among those involved in (and indeed viewing) the games in which it has been in use.

Kilkenny's optimism around the four-point goal does not seem to extend to the three-handpass rule - which has led to the sight of teams counting out loud in unison as they tot up handpasses before then urging 'KICK' to alert their team-mate in possession that the alloted number of handpasses have been used up.

The sight of teams then 'resetting' their handpass clock, as it were, with short, tapped kick passes - more akin to 'big solos' - to a team-mate does not suggest the rule will result in the hoped for increase in crowd-pleasing long passes with the boot.

Of course, you want to see long range shooting in terms of two points, but does that take away from people going for goals?

"I suppose for me, you want the game to be as instinctive as possible for players, that they can just go out and express themselves," Kilkenny explained.

"Look, I understand the concept behind the three handpasses and you love to see kick passing as much as possible.

"But seeing players count on the pitch the amount of passes can go against their instinct. I understand the concept. People have different views. Personally, you want to see that flow of really nice kick passes.

"What's happening in a lot of the games is lads are getting to their third hand pass and it's a lateral kick pass. It could be five,10 metres, and then they're just resetting the clock again there.

"This is the thing, players and coaches and managements will be explorative and figure things out so that'll definitely be one to be looked at."

The reduction of the minimun distance required for a kick-out to travel before it can be played by another player from 40 metres to 15 metres looks to have reintroduced a measure of variety to the restart.

The basketball-style 'backcourt' rule which prevents a team returning to their own half in possession once they have crossed into the opposition's end of the field may need further scrutiny, however.

"Obviously the kick-outs, it's a lot easier to get your kick-out off," Kilkenny noted.

"I suppose with the new rules previously, it was great to see so many contests, so to get the balance with that.

"The backcourt rule is probably one that's most interesting in terms of once a team gets in a half, another team can press them and push them back towards their own half."

The eight-time All-Ireland winner is keen to see some clarification on what rules the Sigerson Cup will be played under next January.

The third-level guinea pigs have endured the early part of their campaign unsure if the rules they have played in throughout October will still be in place in some way, shape or form come early January when their Championship season kicks into the gear.

"It's very exciting to have new rules, and from, a manager and a coach and a player point of view, you have to embrace them, and it challenges your thinking, your problem-solving. You have to be a little bit creative around it, and then around your communication then as well," Kilkenny stressed.

"It's been definitely very interesting. We've learned lots. And even if some of them don't even come in, it allows you a different perspective on things. Some of them could come in, and then some of them mightn't come in, so we just don't know.

"But we would just love to have clarity on when we will know what rules are coming in. I know it will go to Congress, but it would be great to get an indication because all college teams are looking to prepare for the Sigerson.

"If you're practicing with certain rules and then you don't have much time to adjust and adapt leading into Sigerson, I think to be fair to colleges, it'd be great if we got clarity on that as we look forward to the competitions."

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