It was a landmark weekend for the GAA, as four interprovincial games saw the proposed new rules for Gaelic football trialled in front of a (small) Croke Park crowd.
The coming weeks will be committed to debating the merits of bringing the rules in on a permanent basis, though the reaction has generally been cautiously optimistic about their long-term viability.
Some of the country's finest footballers lined out in GAA HQ over the four games, with some taking to the seven core rule changes like a duck to water.
We've picked out our starting XV of outstanding performers from an intriguing weekend of action at Croker.
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GAA Railway Cup: The stand-out team from the interprovincial games
1 Niall Morgan (Ulster/Tyrone)
19 October 2024; Ulster goalkeeper Niall Morgan during the Allianz GAA Football Interprovincial Championship Final match between Connacht and Ulster at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile
One of the most notorious players on the pitch this weekend was Ulster goalkeeper Niall Morgan, who exploited the 3/3 rule with aplomb in both Friday's game against Munster and Saturday's final against Connacht.
There are few goalkeepers in the country better with the ball in hand than Morgan and, with the rule changes creating an overlap for the attacking team when the goalkeeper pushes past halfway, there was nobody better suited to take advantage. A crucial part of Ulster's success over the weekend.
2 Diarmuid Baker (Ulster/Derry)
Though the weekend's action was more free-flowing and open than what we've become accustomed to in the inter-county game, some of the old tropes were still visible.
One of those was of course the organised defence put up by Ulster, and Baker was part of the full-back line on both evenings as they implemented a strong pressing game.
3 Paddy Burns (Ulster/Armagh)
Burns has spoken about his concerns with the new rules in the days since Saturday's final victory over Connacht, with the 31-year-old expressing his concern that a year could be wasted trialling the core proposals in 2025.
He took to them well, though, and was part of the solid Ulster backline with Baker.
4 Sean Mulkerrin (Connacht/Galway)
Don't worry, this team isn't all Ulster.
Bar the Ulstermen, Connacht were the side who took to the rules best. Their defence put brilliant pressure to effectively silence Leinster's forwards on Friday night, especially from distance. Mulkerrin was excellent in that "semi-final," and showed up again in the final against Ulster.
5 Aidan Forker (Ulster/Armagh)
If the new rules are successful in promoting a fast-paced, running game, Aidan Forker will look right at home.
Of all Ulster's half-backs, he was the most industrious in pushing forward, particularly in Friday's game against Munster. Covered immense ground and led his team to victory as captain.
6 John Small (Leinster/Dublin)
Friday's disaster against Connacht means there are only two Leinster players in this selection.
They restored some credit on Saturday night with victory over Munster, and Dublin's John Small was crucial to that win. The Ballymun Kickhams man provided Leinster's only goal, as they ultimately won out by four points.
7 Cillian McDaid (Connacht/Galway)
19 October 2024; Niall Grimley of Ulster in action against Cillian McDaid of Connacht during the Allianz GAA Football Interprovincial Championship Final match between Connacht and Ulster at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Stephen Marken/Sportsfile
McDaid was aggressive in the tackle and did well in forcing the Leinster attack away from the two-point arc on Friday night.
8 Niall Grimley (Ulster/Armagh)
An outstanding all-round performance from Armagh's Niall Grimley, who was tenacious in the grittier parts of the game and dictated the play when Ulster took a slower approach at points.
9 Diarmuid O'Connor (Munster/Kerry)
18 October 2024; Diarmuid O'Connor of Munster scores his side's second goal during the Allianz GAA Football Interprovincial Championship semi-final match between Munster and Ulster at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
One of the two Munster members of this team, Diarmuid O'Connor was superb on Friday night against Ulster, scoring in the second half to put pressure on the eventual winners.
He did not start on Saturday evening, though few midfield performances across the weekend matched his strong running game on Friday.
10 Matthew Tierney (Connacht/Galway)
Kept scoreless on Friday night, Matthew Tierney burst into life in Saturday's interprovincial final against Ulster.
Connacht were reliant on goals to stay in the game, and the Galway wing-forward contributed two of their four in an exceptional forward performance.
11 Rían O'Neill (Ulster/Armagh)
19 October 2024; Rian O'Neill of Ulster takes a free kick during the Allianz GAA Football Interprovincial Championship Final match between Connacht and Ulster at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile
Niall Morgan may have been the most notorious player on the pitch over the weekend but there is a decent argument that Rían O'Neill was the standout star of the interprovincial series.
Though his performance against Connacht in the final gained widespread praise, he was similarly excellent in Friday's win over Munster. These rules have clearly been designed to encourage kicking and, though many players appeared cautious to exploit that too much, O'Neill used the boot better than anyone else on the pitch. Two-point scores and long-range passes were aplenty for the Armagh star.
12 Diarmuid Murtagh (Connacht/Roscommon)
0-4 in Friday's semi-final and 1-2 in Saturday's final. Murtagh scored with aplomb across the weekend, as Connacht displayed a vibrant attacking style in both games.
13 Kevin Feely (Leinster/Kildare)
Leinster's attackers had a dire time of it on Friday against Connacht, prompting manager Dessie Dolan to make a change for Saturday's matchup with Munster.
Kildare's Kevin Feely came into the team and made a big difference, scoring 0-4 as the Leinster side restored some pride with victory in the de facto third-place playoff.
14 Aidan O'Shea (Connacht/Mayo)
Forwards could thrive if these new rules achieve their stated aim, and Aidan O'Shea provided the blueprint of how that could happen in Friday's romp of Leinster.
The Mayo man may have expressed his doubts about the finer points of the proposed new rules after that semi-final but few players took to them better than O'Shea. His two-pointer just before the buzzer on Friday was a massive moment, and he also claimed the first four-point goal of the new era. Though he only scored 0-1 on Saturday, he turned playmaker, delivering a sublime pass for Tierney's goal in the second half.
15 Killian Spillane (Munster/Kerry)
One of the standouts on the Munster team during Friday's entertaining defeat to Ulster.
However, it was Saturday's game against Leinster that solidified Spillane's place in this selection. A sensational shooting performance saw him kick 0-9 (over half of Munster's points), including two exquisite two-pointers. Wonderful stuff from the Kerry star.
