7 Things We Learned from the Football League (Round 2 – NFL 2026)

This is the second edition of DSS Coaching – Lessons from the League, a weekly reflection by Ciaran Deely using the National Football League as a lens to explore coaching, performance, tactics, and the evolving game.

This week in brief:
1. The new rules continue to challenge referees, players, and coaches (and fans!)
2. Division 2 is by far the most interesting table to follow
3. The two-pointer is adding drama — and who the real gamechangers are

Colm Parkinson the Disruptor-in-Chief

Colm Parkinson from Smaller Fish Podcast (not that I need to introduce him!) entered the post-match journalism arena like a storm Saturday evening- and we were all the better for it (IMO). Pádraic Joyce and, especially, Kieran McGeeney were asked probing questions that you could see rubbed them the wrong way. Both managers were tetchy and became defensive. But also, their answers were illuminating and added to the picture and the drama of the occasion. It reminded me of the Premier League, where the analysis, interviews, and manager reactions are all now part of the ‘entertainment product’. It’s no longer just a sporting event in and of itself. Wooly isn’t afraid to ask the tough questions- which sometimes mainstream media journalists are. They become too buddy with the managers and ask inconsequential questions, like- ‘how do you think you played today?’ Meh! The irony of Wooly is that he knows both lads, maybe friends (maybe not!), but has played the game, analysed it over years, is irreverent, tactically very knowledgeable, and perhaps most of all, has his own opinions. Some will like it, some won’t. I’m here for it all! Smaller Fish aims to disrupt the status quo, and Colm looks to be enjoying his role as disruptor-in-chief!

Armagh 0-20 Galway 3-12

Derry stopping the rot against Tyrone

Derry finally breaks their losing run — and doing so against Tyrone — carries real psychological weight. This rivalry matters, but even more so, the absolute weight of relief that will have been lifted off their shoulders. Derry are obviously a fine team, and this run of theirs looked as psychological as anything. I think they finally have the right manager in place. And this felt like more than just two league points and could be a release valve for a group under pressure. I remember the Wexford football (a la, the ‘Matty Forde Team’) I played for back in the noughties, where we got to a Leinster Final and All-Ireland Semi-Final (losing to eventual All-Ireland champs Tyrone) in 2008, we felt like we couldn’t lose. All the chips fell for us! Incredibly, the following 2009 season, we could not buy a win! We had been promoted to Div.2 League, so obviously operating at a higher level, but just everything was off. And it didn’t matter how hard we trained, or how many meetings we had with manager Jason Ryan (current Ballygunner hurling manager) and his staff, we could not stop the rot once it set in. Sport can be a bit like that sometimes. It’ll be fascinating to see where Derry go with this now, will it be season-altering for them?!

Derry 1-15 Tyrone 1-12

Jack Flynn, instinct, and the two-pointer

Jack Flynn’s late two-pointer for Meath was a reminder that players sometimes just need to trust instinct and let fly. Alan Shearer was once asked to do a talk-through of one of his awesome outside-the-box volleys back in his Newcastle heyday. While going through the video in slow motion, he had zero insight to what he did. He essentially said (I’m paraphrasing…), the ball came across, I got my foot to it and smashed it into the top corner. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, or have the words to, describe it. It was simply that once the ball took flight from the cross, instinct took over, and Shearer’s timing, execution, and knowledge of where the goal was simply becoming automatic. To him he did nothing special. It was just ‘what he did!’ Jack Flynn’s incredible 2-pointer to win it for Meath at the death reminded me of that. In this age of ultra-coached tactically set ups and possession-based use of the ball, perhaps these Rolls Royce players, with the ability to play off the cuff and allow instinct to take over, will be the gamechangers and match-winning differentiators.

Cavan 1-18 Meath 2-17

The 3&3 rule still needs common sense

The 3&3 rule again came under scrutiny in Armagh v Galway. This has been one of the most consequential new rules implemented last year- and in my opinion this alteration or enhancement would have solved many of the issues that the game faced. It has been overwhelmingly positive. However, the FRC tried themselves to relax the implementation of it a bit (belatedly) last year but allowing the officials and referees some discretion, or at least identifying specific situations that the rule or the punishment does not apply and can be lessened. What we now need is for the officials and referees to apply this rule with a bit more common sense. Otherwise, the flow of the game and the intent of the players are lost — the opposite of what these rules were designed to achieve.

Dublin committing to a proper reset

Dublin under Ger Brennan is showing an admirable willingness to move on from experienced players, as per his post-game comments about some big-name players facing the chop in the coming weeks. Even though Dublin has been through a semi-transformation over the last few years, this signals potentially a genuine transition phase they are now entering. My own personal thoughts, having been through something similar as Manager of London previously, are to rip the band-aid off now, accept short-term pain, and rebuild for the future. Brennan needs to make this team his own. Although just in terms of this season’s results, it is his successor and future Dublin managers that might benefit most from the groundwork being laid.

Mayo 1-18 Dublin 2-9

Division 2 already showing its teeth

Louth v Cork and Kildare’s early Division 2 results underline how unforgiving this division is. Every game feel like one you need to go bank early. We spoke already about Derry’s home win versus Tyrone (tie of the round), but all of Cork, Meath, and Kildare are all moving well and will fancy their chances. I have to say it’s heartening to see all 3 teams performing, as I’ve long held the view these are the counties who have most ‘underperformed’ in recent times. For sheer population size, history (Cork), proximity to the capital (Meath & Kildare), and financial might, they should have been dining at the top table. It’s still a long way from their 80s and 90s heyday (with the obvious exception of the 2010 Cork team), but I feel the GAA needs this strong and competing trio.

Louth 1-12 Cork 1-17
Kildare 3-17 Offaly 0-17

Unexpected struggle for Clare and Fermanagh in Division 3

Who would have predicted after 2 rounds of Div.3 league, it would be Clare and Fermanagh sitting at the foot of the table, and without a win between them. We won’t yet speak of the dreaded relegation word yet, as you would expect both to make sufficient recovery. It does show again, however, the importance of both a strong start to the league and how teams are coming back in serious physical condition at the beginning of the year. One little miscalculation in the season preparation can have a big impact. Their game against each other in round 3 now takes on greater importance.

Sligo 1-19 Fermanagh 0-15
Kildare 3-17 Offaly 0-17

Extra-time: Checking in on ‘my’ teams – Wexford and London

Wexford’s trip to Laois (Div.3) and London’s clash with Longford (Div.4) offered useful early indicators. I was impressed with both teams last week, and they backed those good performances with emphatic wins. Wexford, with a trip away to Limerick in 2 weeks’ time, will fancy themselves keeping their winning streak running, while London will not fear Stevie Poacher’s Leitrim in Ruislip (who got a much-needed win versus Waterford). These are the fixtures that quietly shape a league campaign, often away from the headlines.

Wexford 0-23 Laois 0-9
Longford 2-8 London 0-19

See you next week,
Ciaran

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