In the aftermath of the Dublin-Kerry semi-final, the post-match recriminations centred primarily on the decisions of David Gough in the game's closing minutes.
But others were inclined to ask why had Eamonn Fitzmaurice chosen to take off Kerry's in-form forward in the closing stages of the game.
The scores were tied at 0-19 to 2-13 when Paul Geaney was whipped off by the manager.
In the press conference after, Fitzmaurice said he sacrificed Geaney to shore up the defence at a time when Dublin were pressing hard for a winner.
We took him off because Dublin had pressed up at the time and we were playing with a sweeper, and we needed to get another back on so it was a tactical change.
Almost two weeks later, he acknowledged in an interview with Dara O'Cinnéide on Raidio na Gealtachta, that this may have been a mistake.
Perhaps we should have left Paul on the pitch. He’s the best forward in the country at the moment. It may have been a mistake. But the analysis always points to the person who’s not there as the key to a win, but that’s too easy.
His original reasoning certainly hints at a defensive cast of mind. Expect Joe Brolly's next column to fixate on 'Fitzy' and his doom-mongering defensive instincts.
He'll have Fitzmaurice to kick around for another two years at least, as it was confirmed that the manager was staying on until the end of 2018.
Whereupon his immediate predecessor Jack O'Connor will presumably return with a glittering crop of youngsters in tow.
Read more: 5 Potential Candidates For The Kerry Managers Job In The Future
