GLEN have until Wednesday afternoon to lodge an objection over the finish to their All-Ireland club final defeat by Kilmacud Crokes yesterday – and they would almost certainly be granted a replay if they did so.
Crokes had 16 players actively on the field for Glen’s final attack, with Paul Mannion also still technically on the pitch as he made his way off.
Mannion was replaced by Tom Fox while Dara Mullin was due to go off as Conor Casey came on. However, amid confusion on the sideline, Mullin stayed on the goal-line while Casey joined the phalanx of defenders ahead of him.
With the linesman on the Hogan Stand side infield alongside Danny Tallon as he prepared to take Glen’s 45, it was left to the fourth official, Sligo’s John Gilmartin, to man the sideline.
He allowed both players to go on without either Mannion or Mullin first coming to the line to go off.
Glen, in their haste to restart the game, played on. It appeared that their players didn’t realise at the time, but manager Malachy O’Rourke had tried to intervene and subsequently asked the sideline official for a retake of the 45 after Conleth McGuckian’s shot had flashed wide.
A precedent for a retake had been set by Mayo’s last-gasp equaliser against Dublin in the 2021 All-Ireland semi-final, when Rob Hennelly got a second bite at a 45 after a Dublin substitute hadn’t left the field in time before his first attempt.
Kilmacud’s 16 players on the pitch.
— Darran Marshall (@DarranMarshall) January 22, 2023
Here’s @SportTG4 #GAABeo coverage of the final 90 seconds of the game. You can see when the subs come on & go off. pic.twitter.com/B5iHnX0tP8
The GAA will not open any investigation into the incident unless an objection is lodged by Glen. If Wednesday afternoon's 3.30pm deadline passes without that happening, Kilmacud’s win will stand.
It’s understood that as of lunchtime today, no official contact with Croke Park had been made by the Watty Graham’s club.
The Irish News has also learned that the incident is not included in the referee's report, despite Tipperary official Derek O'Mahoney halting the game after the final attack to send Mullin to the line. Even if he had mentioned it, the onus would still have been on Glen to object.
The Dublin and Leinster champions will be sweating, however.
Rule 6.44 (b) (i) of the GAA’s Official Guide states that a team “exceeding the number of players permitted [15]” shall, on proven objection, be subject to the award of the game to the opposing team, a replay or a fine “depending on the circumstances”.
Given how clear the evidence of Kilmacud’s rule breach is, the CCCC would have no choice but to find in Glen’s favour and The Irish News understands that a replay would be the most likely outcome.
However, Glen boss Malachy O’Rourke suggested in the immediate aftermath of the game that they wouldn’t pursue an appeal over it.
“We can do nothing about that but it obviously does make a difference the more men they have in there. The harder it is for us to get a score out of it and I think we did ask the fourth official to get the free retaken but it didn’t happen,” he said.
“I can’t speak for the club or anything else but I don’t think that’s how the club operates. We had our chances, we gave it our best shot. Look it, that shouldn’t happen.
“I can’t speak for the club but I just think we’ll accept we got beat on the day.”
While that remained the feeling in Maghera last night, further discussions this morning have been held around potentially pursuing an objection, and the final call will come down to the management and players.
It’s unknown at this stage what their decision will be but it still seems unlikely they’ll deviate from their gut feeling.
Any objection would likely lead to a hearing within 24 hours of it being lodged, with the likelihood that any replay would take place this Saturday alongside the Dublin-Kildare National League opener in Croke Park
