Sean Cavanagh: Up to GAA to address 16th man, not Glen and Kilmacud

Sean Cavanagh has accused the GAA of abdicating responsibility in the 16th-man row that has overshadowed the All-Ireland senior club football final.

Dublin and Leinster champions Kilmacud Crokes won by two points eight days ago but it emerged afterwards that they had had an extra man on the field for a 45 in the closing seconds.

Their opponents Glen Watty Grahams lodged an objection against the breach of rule 6.44 last Tuesday but only after the GAA apparently told them that CCCC would not investigate independently, as the rule provides for.

Kilmacud then lodged a counter-objection and both clubs are expected to attend a hearing on Monday.

Penalties for having more than 15 players on the pitch include the awarding of the game to the opposing team, for the game to be replayed, or a fine.

"This is crazy," former Tyrone star Sean Cavanagh told RTE2's Allianz League Sunday.

"It's a rules breach. It's down to the GAA to fix this. The GAA must fix this.

"How they have sat back and put this back on amateur clubs...

"It was a great final and it has almost taken the taste of it."

Cavanagh believes that the incident, which occurred when a Kilmacud substitute came on but the man he was replacing failed to leave the pitch, was a result of poorly framed regulations.

"It should never have happened," he said. "In any sport, you look at basketball, soccer, there's a specific way in which you take people on and off."

"There are so many things wrong with these rules and laws.

"How many times do we sit here and talk about appeals, teams being named before games, melees, refereeing decisions, Hawk-Eye last year?"

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