The Football Review Committee (FRC) could not have hoped for a more successful trial of its rule suggestions than the 2025 championship, which revitalised a sport dominated by defensive tactics. That being said, you could imagine there might have been teething problems for a lot of teams adjusting to new concepts such as the scoring arc.With only seven games left in the 2026 season, though, that doesn’t seem to be the case. So far in 2026, two-pointers have been scored at the same rate as last year; to the nearest decimal, the average team scored 2.6 two-pointers per game last year, and that figure is again 2.6. However, that figure masks the real adaptation to the new rules in 2026. Goals are up by nearly one per game this year as teams are forced to abandon old blanket structures and push up towards the arc in defence. Even before this past weekend, Seán Moran asked in these pages if this was the greatest football championship of all time. And although that question is impossible to quantify with a statistic, a mix of long-range points and increased goals would definitely sound good to most fans. Overall, neutrals will be pleased with the scoring output in championship football. From 2024 to 2025, the average scores per game rose from 34 points to 46 points, and that has inched up further to 48 in 2026. Football scores now read more like hurling ones and suddenly 1-24 might not be enough to win you a game – as Fermanagh, Dublin and Meath (twice) have found out the hard way this year.Cork's Steven Sherlock has shone for his two-point ability. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho Orange (and green) flags have helped keep teams in games despite deficits that would have been write-offs before the new rules. Winning margins have actually taken a slight upturn this year, from an average of 6.5 points to 7.2, although there are seven close games to come.Despite the stats on winning margins showing otherwise, games have felt tighter this championship. That’s probably because we’re getting more last-minute dogfights in big games, and also because an incredible seven games have gone to extra-time, compared with just three in the entire 2025 championship.Last year, teams had to play at least three games in the group phase, and in some cases a single win over Division 3 opposition would have seen a county into the knockout rounds.In contrast, this year punished teams for not bringing their A-game every week. Look at Armagh, who could have a quarter-final place sewn up if not for a tepid performance and a costly last-minute error against Louth. That result sent them into a knockout game against Kerry, who hit form and set the Ulster champions’ next fixture for 2027. It has also rewarded teams for playing good football and taking risks. Cork looked dejected after their Munster final defeat to Kerry, but with a big help from Steven Sherlock at corner-forward, the Rebels hit 12 two-pointers in their two All-Ireland series games, qualifying them for the quarter-finals.Darragh McGurn of Fermanagh put up the biggest score of two-pointers. Photograph: James Lawlor/Inpho Sherlock has had two games this season where he has racked up four two-pointers, while Fermanagh’s Darragh McGurn put up the best individual tally of orange flags in championship history, with five against Armagh in the Ulster championship. That performance also constituted the biggest individual score of the year, with McGurn registering 1-12. David Clifford will be licking his lips at that record, after hitting 1-10 last weekend.And while Cork have been impressive from long range, their quarter-final opponents Mayo have an even better record from outside the arc. Having scored seven against London and six against Monaghan, Mayo are averaging 3.8 orange flags per game – Cork still sit at a noticeably higher-than-average 3.4.Monaghan hold the record for most two-pointers by a team in a single game, with eight in their heroic Ulster win over Derry. Their quarter-final opponents Louth have experienced a dip in form from long-range, but have a good record throughout the two-year period, especially from their main man Sam Mulroy. Much has been made of Dublin’s reluctance to pull the trigger from outside the large D since its introduction, but they managed three against Donegal in their upset win. They will face a team with several consistent two-point threats on Sunday, with Paul Conroy and Shane Walsh leading the way for Galway, who average around three two-pointers per game.Finally, the favourites to win the All-Ireland are Kerry, who are currently hitting that nationwide average of 2.6 two-pointers per game. Not too great so, until you remember that Seán O’Shea is only coming back to fitness, along with a whole host of other starters for the reigning champions. O’Shea and David Clifford alone have hit 57 two-pointers in league and championship for Kerry since its inception.Tyrone’s season came to a halt at their hands last season, so they’ll be well aware of the threat coming into Sunday. As the Kerry team reassembles itself from the injury list, Tyrone might be well minded to let the single points fly over and focus on protecting themselves from the big hits of the orange and green flags that Kerry’s forwards have specialised in over the last two years.