Ahead of throw-in for the Allianz Football League this weekend, discussion in GAA spheres have been dominated by the fallout from last weekend's All-Ireland senior club final between Kilmacud Crokes and Watty Grahams (Glen).
Video evidence clearly showed that eventual victors Crokes had an extra man on the pitch in the closing stages of the game, during which they held off a decisive attack from Glen that could have won the game for the Derry club.
An appeal process is now likely to be drawn out, with Crokes expected to object to Glen's enquiry about the match result, leaving the fate of the 2023 club championship up in the air.
The GAA left the ball in Glen's court to appeal, rather than addressing the infringement of the rules directly themselves. Lee Keegan, for one, is disappointed in the "lack of leadership" shown by the GAA in the days following the club final.
Lee Keegan questions GAA handling of club final "debacle"
When RTÉ announced their GAA punditry team for 2023, one of the standout names was recently retired Mayo legend Lee Keegan. The 2016 Footballer of the Year joins their Sunday Game panel for the 2023 season, and will also be penning regular articles for the RTÉ website.
Lee Keegan has joined RTÉ's punditry team for the 2023 GAA season. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile
In the first of these regular pieces, Keegan addressed the controversy surrounding the recent club football final at Croke Park.
The decision by the GAA not to intervene directly, and instead leave things up to Glen to appeal if they wished to address any wrongdoing, has led to criticism from many corners, and Lee Keegan has added his voice to that chorus.
Keegan said that the GAA would have earned more credit if they had publicly addressed the situation, and feared that the "debacle" would rage on deep into the 2023 season:
I think there's been a lack of leadership from the head honchos in the GAA. They would have emerged with more credit coming out with a statement earlier, not only to protect themselves but the players involved. I think it was very poorly managed from this perspective.
We're talking about the biggest club game in the calendar year. The club final debacle is going to hinder the early rounds of the league.
You've Conor Glass, Shane Walsh, Paul Mannion - and it's not necessarily the case that they would have been involved this weekend - but these guys are top players for their county teams.
These counties may have to plan potentially without their star players for the first month of the league until this gets resolved.
It's hard to argue with Keegan's points, and the lack of certainty surrounding the outcome of the 2023 club football championship will no doubt take its toll on both the clubs involved, as well as the intercounty teams who depend on players from either club.
READ HERE: Six GAA Sagas That Ended In Replays Being Ordered
The most likely outcome was thought to be a replay, though reports today suggest that Kilmacud Crokes have no interest in a final rematch.
It is a messy situation through and through, and questions will continue to be asked of the GAA's handling of the fallout.
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