It's fair to say that last weekend's GAA action was somewhat underwhelming. The weekend's two most anticipated All-Ireland quarter-finals, Kerry vs Tyrone and Dublin vs Mayo, both turned out to be one-sided affairs.
As for the other two fixtures, they were hardly the most thrilling to watch. Armagh vs Monaghan had plenty of drama at the end of extra-time and in the penalty shootout, but the 90 minutes or so of action preceding that was very difficult to watch. As for Derry vs Cork, that was one of the least exciting top level games you are likely to see for quite some time.
Considering that this was billed as the weekend when the Gaelic football championship really got going, it was a grim summary of of where the game is at right now.
Pat Spillane reached 'breaking point' during GAA game last week
The GAA have a serious issue on its hands when it comes to the entertainment value currently on offer in Gaelic football, with the game becoming increasingly difficult to watch for supporters. Something needs to change soon in order to encourage more attacking play, most likely via the rulebook.
Some people have already had enough.
Writing in his column in the Sunday World, Kerry legend Pat Spillane said that he reached his 'breaking point' with the sport while watching Derry vs Cork last weekend.
I fear we have seen signs of Gaelic's football version of the apocalypse this summer...
Penalties aside, the Monaghan v Armagh quarter-final was a hard watch for the armchair fan. In a severe case of paralysis by analysis, the two teams set up as mirror images of each other. It was a cautious, safety-first, keep-possession style of football. In other words, deadly boring.
I finally reached breaking point early in the Derry v Cork match.
I consider myself a mild-mannered individual. But after the first three minutes I wanted to drive my boot through the television screen. What I was seeing was not the game I fell in love with and played. This was a new sport called 'keep ball'...
You could not make it up, yet the GAA expect people to continue to pay good money to watch this drivel.
The GAA will have to intervene in some way in order to combat this worrying trend, with some changes to the rulebook likely on the way.
A number of potential laws have been suggested to encourage attacking play, although it remains to be seen what route they decide to go down.
What is clear is that something needs to be done sooner rather than later.
SEE ALSO: Davy Fitzgerald Calls Out Nickie Quaid For Gamesmanship In Limerick Win
