After an up and down start to his tenure in the early portion of the season, there is no doubt that Andy Moran did a remarkable job during his first campaign in charge of Mayo.

Their march towards a first All-Ireland in 75 years was remarkable, steadily improving over the course of the championship before peaking in the final. They played some exhilarating football along the way, both on and off the ball.

Moran set the side up in a brave manner. They were not afraid to attack in numbers and attempt some risky shots in the final third, while also pressing high as a group out of possession.

Indeed, the Mayo manager’s understanding of one GAA rule ended up having a major influence on their success.

Mayo benefit from Andy Moran understanding of GAA rule

Out of all the GAA rule changes employed in Gaelic football, the laws relating to passing the ball back to the goalkeeper has been among the more understated law changes. Players can now only pass the ball to their goalkeeper if both of them are inside the large rectangle, or if the goalkeeper has crossed the halfway line.

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This change was made to ensure more forward passes in the defensive third, but few have recognised its potential impact as well as Andy Moran.

With the goalkeeper no longer an outlet to pass to, he was confident in implementing an aggressive press to overturn the ball high up the field.

Writing in the Irish Independent, Joe Brolly said Moran’s exploitation of the rule was the key to Mayo’s success in 2026.

Mayo’s triumph was based on Andy’s unique appreciation of the new rules, his singular conviction that they would win by being the first team to fully take advantage of the no back pass to the ‘keeper rule.

This vision looked like a disaster for the first two-thirds of the season, when they were whacked by Kerry, Donegal and Roscommon, but he persisted with it and when the players finally immersed themselves in it, they became the most adventurous, most exciting team in the country.

Other GAA teams will replicate Mayo approach in 2027

It will be interesting to see if other teams attempt to replicate Mayo’s approach in 2027. It will be difficult to do so, with a certain profile of player needed to pull that game plan off.

With a young age profile in the squad, Andy Moran will be confident that his side should only improve moving forward.

That should be an exciting prospect for supporters out west.