The situation that has developed in the aftermath of last weekend's All-Ireland club final has quickly developed into farce.
It's clear that Kilmcud Crokes had too many players on the pitch in the dying moments of the game, managing to hold off the late flurry from Glen to win the game. A rule has been broken, with the Derry club having grounds for a replay.
However, the way the GAA have handled it has left a lot to be desired.
Whereas most sporting bodies would make a prompt decision relating to such a matter, they dragged their feet and left the ball entirely in the court of the clubs involved to see what would happen next.
Glen would ultimately lodge an appeal, but it seems as though the process is far from over.
Oisín McConville recalls extra player drama involving Crossmaglen
The GAA haven't covered themselves in glory. This matter should have been dealt with on the day of the game or soon after, with the situation no closer to a resolution a full four days after the event.
Speaking on The GAA Social, Wicklow manager Oisín McConville said that the association should have handled the whole thing in a more professional manner.
It definitely doesn't paint the GAA in a great light. The problem I have is when it comes to this type of stuff, we're very reactive instead of getting ahead of this type of stuff...
The GAA should have said 'a team has been wronged, how do we fix it?'
You try to get ahead of it, be proactive. The most natural thing to do would be to offer Glen that replay and then it be up to them to make that decision from there...
I'm sure in Glen it's 50/50. Some people probably want to go ahead and play a replay, and some people don't. As a player you might feel 'we lost and that's it'.
There has been wrongdoing, I just would have loved instead of us tying ourselves up in knots again, we were more flexible.
Of course, such situations have occurred in the past in county championships around the country. The outcomes have varied quite a bit depending on the infringement, with some clubs being kicked out of competitions while others went completely unpunished.
McConville himself was on the pitch when one such incident occurred.
Crossmaglen took on the Kerry club Dr Crokes in the All-Ireland final in 2007, with the Armagh men emerging victorious on a scoreline of 0-13 to 1-5 after a replay.
However, there was some controversy after the game when it emerged that one of their players, John McEntee, had received two yellow cards during the contest but was not sent off.
McConville recalled to host Thomas Niblock how Dr Crokes would have been fully entitled to seek a replay on that occasion.
Niblock: We could talk about John McEntee in 2007.
McConville: I was just about to say. In 2007, John McEntee got two yellow cards, but wasn't sent off. We then actually took him off. Crokes would have been well within their rights to seek a replay.
Niblock: But they didn't?
McConville: No. Again, it was brushed under the carpet.
While Crossmaglen would win rather comfortably in the end, it could have been very different had they had a man sent off. The game was level late on at the time the red card should have been produced.
Having been booked after 11 minutes of the game, McEntee would be given another yellow in the 54th minute. However, referee Eugene Murtagh would fail to pull out the red card, with the player staying on the pitch.
McEntee would be substituted five minutes later. The Kerry club would end up having to wait a decade before they returned to another All-Ireland final.
While Dr Crokes did not appeal on this occasion, it appears as though Glen are going to go down a very different route in 2023. The situation could end up getting rather messy.
SEE ALSO: Lee Keegan Says GAA Have Lacked Leadership In Club Final Fallout
