GAA inertia on '16th man' was for the greater good

The decision to wait for a Glen appeal was taken for the sake of all the GAA’s competitions control committees and referees

Uachtarán Chumann Lúthchleas Gael Larry McCarthy meets referee Derek O'Mahoney before the AIB GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Club Championship Final match between Watty Graham's Glen of Derry and Kilmacud Crokes of Dublin. Picture: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

By doing little and saying nothing about the All-Ireland Club SFC final fall-out, the GAA has been accused of making a rod for their own backs this past week. Privately, they maintain their inactivity is saving them from a greater flogging.

To avoid setting a precedent that they fear would rock the organisation, the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) acted the way they did last Monday. Not that it was welcomed by the broader public or understood for that matter but their decision not to investigate a breach of rules and rather wait for an objection from Glen to initiate the process was taken for the sake of all the GAA’s competitions control committees and referees. Yes, those often grating words, the greater good.