Just two days out from the start of the Allianz Leagues, the national media was briefed on the final clarifications and interpretations to the new playing rules in Croke Park yesterday.

Joe Brolly has admitted his desire to get back on television and to feel ‘excited’ again when the producers say ‘five, four, three...’ in his ear was partly why he set aside his long-held beliefs about pay-per-view broadcasters and the GAA.

Joe Brolly has admitted he came to the realisation that he was "howling into the wilderness" when it came to criticising the GAA for doing deals with pay-per-view broadcasters.

Brolly's first outing with his new channel is expected to be a repeat of the All-Ireland Final when Dublin face Kerry at Croke Park on Saturday, January 25. That game will also be broadcast live by his former employers RTÉ.

Leading referee Conor Lane has described the advanced mark as an ‘awkward’ rule and believes players have to take more responsibility in calling it.

Jim Gavin is gone but his words as much as his deeds in inter-county Gaelic football remain.

The new rules had their first official airing this past weekend in the five O’Byrne Cup games, and it was encouraging that the Leinster Council brought in the five referees last week to brief them in advance.

All-Ireland final referee David Gough has responded to the controversy generated by the Irish Examiner GAA Podcast, on which former Kerry manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice insisted Gough shouldn’t be selected to ref that final.

Of all the rows ‘The Sunday Game’ programmes generated during the last 40 years, perhaps changing the theme tune 15 years ago was the greatest of them. Here our GAA correspondent John Fogarty lists 10 of the controversies prompted by comments and quotes.

Ratoath will be appearing in their first decider following their fully merited 2-14 to 1-10 win over the Kells men. The north Meath side were continuing their losing streak at the semi-final stage, having lost four in the past five years.

Is it all over for sports analysis at long, long last? Have we finally gone over the brow of the mountain, beyond the peak and down the incline on the far side?

David Gough has spoken about his phone call with Joe Brolly after the RTÉ pundit's criticism of the referee's All-Ireland final performance.

The three points which Paul Mannion and Con O’Callaghan supplied on September 1 compared rather poorly to the impressive totals the pair had run up en route to the decider.

Former RTÉ soccer pundit Eamon Dunphy has criticised his former employers for "going soft" on sports analysis.

Former Kerry defender Marc Ó Sé has suggested that the appointment of Cork’s Conor Lane for the All-Ireland final replay could play into Dublin’s hands.

Joe Brolly has responded to the news he will not feature in RTÉ's coverage of the All-Ireland football final reply on Twitter.

Joe Brolly will not be part of RTÉ's coverage of Saturday's All-Ireland football final replay.

Stephen Rochford will replace Joe Brolly on RTÉ’s live panel for this Saturday’s All-Ireland SFC replay.

The GAA has explained live TV is one of the primary reasons why the All-Ireland SFC final will throw in at 6pm on Saturday week.

“Propaganda,” cried Joe Brolly on Sunday in explaining how he felt David Gough had lost his reason in awarding Kerry a penalty. As wide of the mark as his point was, he should know something about attempted implantation.

We don’t exactly know what’s going to happen on September 14 but we figure there is a better chance of predicting what won’t

When Gaelic football is played right, this game has it all. We haven’t been blessed with a lot of outstanding matches these last five or six years because of the way some teams play, but we were all lucky to see an All-Ireland final like that.

David Gough was the right man for this All-Ireland final — I maintained that from a good bit out — and seeing him give one of the best refereeing displays in a football final wasn’t unexpected.

Dublin manager Jim Gavin wouldn’t be drawn on referee David Gough’s performance after today's dramatic draw between his side and Kerry.

Dublin and Kerry will have to battle it out again on Saturday, September 14 (6pm throw-in), after this absorbing if error-strewn tussle finished tied.

All-Ireland winner Bryan Sheehan on learning the art of free-taking from Maurice Fitzgerald and why Kerry football is in a good place, despite the exodus of its All-Ireland winning stars.

"Yerra, we live in hope in Kerry"

To sweep or not to sweep. It’s a question Peter Keane may be mulling over as the Kerry manager formulates a strategy for taking down Dublin in the All-Ireland final.

Kerry great Aidan O'Mahony has insisted he isn't part of any Kingdom "mafia" and that there was no orchestrated campaign or "witch hunt" to prevent David Gough from refereeing the All-Ireland final.

The few weeks leading up to an All-Ireland football final tends to provide the ideal conditions for conspiracy theorists to flourish.

Kerry footballer Stephen O’Brien has been cleared to play in the All-Ireland SFC final.

Defender Murphy described Gough as an “excellent referee”.

The chairman of Kerry GAA, Tim Murphy, has said they have complete confidence in the integrity of the process which has nominated David Gough to referee the All-Ireland SFC final against Dublin.

Kerry GAA chairman Tim Murphy says their team have no issue with David Gough's appointment as All-Ireland final referee.

Catch up on the headlines!

David Gough will take charge of the All-Ireland Senior Football final between Dublin and Kerry.

Aidan O'Mahony has added his voice to calls in Kerry for the GAA not to appoint David Gough as referee for the All-Ireland final.

The ironies of Stephen O’Brien’s proposed, cumulative one-match ban are worth mentioning.

So that’s nearly Monday wrapped up. Here’s some of the stories we published on irishexaminer.com today which we hope will help you make sense of it all this evening.

Former Kerry manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice believes it would be wrong if Meath referee David Gough is nominated by the GAA to handle next month’s All-Ireland final between Dublin and Kerry.

Éamonn Fitzmaurice and Ronan McCarthy review the All-Ireland finals with Mike Quirke and Tony Leen.

You imagine as the Kerry party left Croke Park yesterday evening they were preparing a case for the defence of Stephen O’Brien.

I can’t tell you how much of a buzz it would have been for David Gough to have taken charge of Saturday’s game in Castlebar.

Andy Moran kicked two injury-time points to ensure his Mayo side sealed a place in the All-Ireland semi-finals as they withheld any notions of Donegal comeback.