Donal Og Cusack believes strength may trump speed in an All-Ireland Hurling Championship that will spill into the winter months.
The revised 2020 GAA schedule has thrown up a lot of talking points with the inter-county season to resume on October 17.
And with the All-Ireland final pencilled in for December 13, Cusack reckons brute power could be the biggest asset.
"It's a very interesting one," the former Cork goalkeeper told RTE's The Sunday Game.
"It's a long term debate in terms of do the bad conditions suit the bigger player? Do they suit the smaller, quicker player? Is the smaller, quicker player faster in all conditions?
"My gut feeling is that I think it is going to suit the bigger, stronger, more physical teams.
"The odds are that conditions are going to be bad.
"Yes, fields are going to be good and are getting way better, but I just think when I think of the Galways, I think of Limerick, I think of Kilkenny - I think it's definitely not going to be a disadvantage to those teams."
The prospect of the hurling season climaxing on cold and dark winter days is one that both intrigues and excites nine-time All-Ireland winner Jackie Tyrell.
The Kilkenny legend said: "It's going to be tougher for managers. They'll have to train under lights when they are used to training in the summer during the long summer evenings.
"So it's going to be so different with penalties coming into play too.
"There will be lads up in Dublin doing their Christmas shopping and going to All-Ireland semi-finals and finals.
"It's brilliant, it's different, and we still haven't fully got our head around it.
"But to be sitting here drawing a line in the sand, looking forward to a Leinster and a Munster Hurling Championship is brilliant."
