"Stat of the National League's opening weekend: Mayo kicked the same number of two-pointers in the first half in Salthill on Sunday - three - as they did across their six championship matches of 2025."
"Another one. Donegal scored as many times (five) from outside the arc in Croke Park against Dublin on Saturday night as they did across their four All-Ireland series games last year. Coincidence? Evolving strategies? Stiff winds? A nexus of environmental and tactical factors?"
Mayo kicked three two-pointers in the first half at Salthill, equalling their total from six championship matches in 2025. Donegal scored five times from outside the arc in Croke Park against Dublin, equalling their total from four All-Ireland series games last year. Both occurrences reveal concentrated bursts of long-range scoring that contrast with prior cumulative outputs. Potential explanations include deliberate tactical shifts toward perimeter shooting, favourable or disruptive environmental conditions like wind, isolated game circumstances, or simple statistical variance from small samples. Additional matches and systematic data are required to confirm whether these are anomalies or emerging trends.
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