The disciplinary "loophole" which overruled any possible investigation by the CCCC into Austin Gleeson's interference with the helmet of Cork's Luke Meade is likely to be closed ahead of next year's Hurling Championship.
Having been seen to grab Meade's helmet during Waterford's 11-point victory over Cork in Sunday's All-Ireland semi-final, the CCCC were reportedly angered that the referee's judgement could not be retrospectively considered with the aid of video evidence.
To the letter of the law, the incident should have warranted a red card for Gleeson, and, akin to his teammate Tadhg de Búrca in the semi-final, many feared Gleeson would resultantly miss Waterford's All-Ireland decider against Galway on September 3rd
However, when match referee James Owens claimed that he was satisfied with how the incident had been officiated at the time, the CCCC - while not necessarily seeking to punish Gleeson - felt there was nonetheless a 'case to answer' and were unhappy at being unable to proceed.
In a rapid fashion, the tied hands of the CCCC are set to be loosened however ahead of such incidents occurring in the future.
In today's Irish Independent, Martin Breheny has revealed that 'widespread support' will greet the wheels that are already in motion:
GAA sources have indicated that the relevant rule will now come under scrutiny, with a view to widening the CCCC's powers so that even where a referee states that he ruled on a controversial incident in real time, it can be re-opened if the video evidence shows that he called it wrong.
Although any such change will not effect Gleeson's availability for this year's All-Ireland decider, the 'embarrassment' felt by the GAA in the run up to this year's final is likely to instigate a rule change sooner rather than later.
