Many have labelled last weekend's meeting between Roscommon and Dublin as a watershed moment for Gaelic football and the GAA. While the draw between the two sides was an intriguing result in itself, it was one particular incident in the game that has dominated the post-match narrative.
At one stage in the game just after the half hour mark, the Rossies kept possession of the ball for six minutes straight, passing it back and forth while being largely unchallenged by the opposition team. In the end, the move would comprise of 77 passes before they eventually scored.
It is an incident which has split opinion during the intervening days.
Peter Canavan calls for GAA to limit possession issue
Peter Canavan falls into the camp of those who were worried by this particular passage and its ramifications for the sport as a whole.
Speaking on RTÉ's Game On, the Tyrone legend said that while he does not blame Roscommon for this approach, he does feel that the GAA will eventually have to do something to tackle the issue.
It’s not just the Dublin v Roscommon game, this has been a trend in our games these past couple of years.
When teams elect to get a lot of bodies behind the ball, rather than go direct for your score, the traditional route, teams are becoming patient. They are trying to draw the opposition out.
In some cases it used to be you held on to the ball for a minute, maybe two minutes, but I think we reached a record on Sunday when it was nearly six minutes.
I get it, it’s part and parcel of the game. It’s a tactic that managers are using, but it’s terrible to watch and spoiling our game as a spectacle...
For those that are paying a lot to see it and those who are watching it, it’s not good enough...
I’m not blaming Roscommon one minute for the way in which they went out and played. If I was a Roscommon player going to Croke Park on Sunday, and my manager told me, 'We can play a nice style of football and get beat here by 15 points, or we will go out and try and win’’, there is no doubt as a player what I would want.
They are playing within the rules, but at this stage, for the betterment of the game, we’ve got to look at another approach.
I hate to say that because there have been so many tweaks to the rules, but it’s inevitable that something has got to be done to make our game a better viewing spectacle.
It will be interesting to see what is done about this issue.
Teams are well within their rights to keep possession for as long as they want, while the defending team also play a role by sitting off and allowing their opponents to hold onto the ball unchallenged.
If this becomes a common theme during the summer, it is likely that this discussion about the GAA and their response only gains more traction.
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