Kilmacud Crokes All-Ireland club title confirmed as GAA bring saga to close

Kilmacud Crokes have been confirmed as AIB All-Ireland club football champions for 2023 following a meeting of the GAA's Central Competitions Control Committee.

In a statement the GAA said "no fault was attributed to Kilmacud Crokes for the situation they found themselves in" after they had 16 players on the pitch for a crucial late '45 in last month's Croke Park decider.

Watty Graham's Glen, who they beat in last month's final, withdrew 'from this process' last Friday, releasing a statement saying, "we as a club now do not believe the conditions exist for a replay to be contested".

As a result the CCCC met the Stillorgan club today and it was agreed that Crokes would withdraw their appeal to Glen's objection.

The Ulster champions had initiated the process after images had emerged on the night of the final which showed Kilmacud defending the final play of the game with 16 players on the field.

Leading 1-11 to 1-09, Crokes made two late substitutions as Glen's Danny Tallon stood over a last-gasp '45' but only one of the replaced players departed towards the sideline.

Glen had objected to the result on that basis.

In a statement the GAA said: "Representatives of Kilmacud Crokes and the CCCC met today to consider the implications of the decision on Friday of Watty Graham's Glen to withdraw from the process initiated around the 2023 AIB All-Ireland Club Football Final.

"The CCCC arising from an objection on behalf of Watty Graham’s Glen, had ordered a replay of the game on the basis that in excess of the number of players permitted were on the field for the last play of the game.

"The CCCC Decision – communicated to the two Clubs on Tuesday of last week - had made it clear that this was not a deliberate action and that no fault was