Galway manager Kevin Walsh has heavily criticised the way the game is being analysed and dictated by a 'small handful of pundits'.

Walsh is not a fan of the five new rules that are set to be trialled in the pre-season competitions and feels that GAA analysts are having an undue influence on the perception of the game.

The defensive tactics deployed by the Tribesmen this year that yielded a National League final appearance and a Connacht title were criticised by many former players.

In an interview with the official Galway GAA Supporters Club, he said: “It’s the uncertainty as much as anything else that we have an issue with. We don’t know what the rules are going to be as they have still to be finalised and agreed.

"We find ourselves in a situation where we have no clear indication what it is we need to be preparing ourselves for and that’s not an ideal situation.

“A lot of these changes are being introduced to try and improve the game as a spectacle but I believe they will have the opposite effect. I think some of the proposed rule changes are being introduced because a small handful of pundits are in control of how the game is perceived and have an undue influence on how a game is perceived by the public and also how games are officiated by referees.

"It’s a sad day when the pundit’s opinions outweigh the real facts and while they are well able to articulate their views via the media, they lack the experience to do a proper analysis of the technical and tactical side and that needs to evolve.”

In an interview with Mayo Fan TV, James Horan also took issue with the new rules.

"Let’s see how they are. Look, I wouldn’t be a fan of them. I think they’re a little bit crazy to be honest," said Horan, who is back at the helm in Mayo after a four-year absence.

"I don’t know what we’re trying to do to referees. How they’re going to be refereed I just don’t know. You’ve seen it in quite a lot of games already where they’ve been used.

"I’m not sure what’s going to be brought in for the National League so we’ll just have to wait and see. We have to play with what’s there.

"We’ve done a little bit of work on it and we’ll make sure the players understand it. We’ll play whatever’s happening."

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