GAA President Sean McCague has expressed support for the adoption of an automatic timing device for football and hurling matches. His remarks come in the context of Sunday's All-Ireland football final draw at the end of which only 40 seconds of injurytime were played by referee Pat McEnaney despite neutral assessments that around three minutes were due.

Stressing that he was speaking in a personal capacity, McCague made the comments to a press conference at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin. "I personally would be in favour of its introduction," he said. "In time I believe a clock system will be introduced. The difficulty will be the question of having it for some games and not for others when you get down to club games. The trend has always been to legislate for all games."

Yesterday's media briefing was to give details of the GAA special congress, originally fixed for Saturday week - the day of the All-Ireland replay - but now rescheduled for October 14th. The agenda will be dominated by the football championship proposals and the association's new provisions for drug testing.

The report of the Inter-county Schedule Work Group will constitute the main business of the afternoon. This was published last month and provides for a parallel, open draw competition for all teams eliminated up as far as the provincial final stage.

A number of amendments to the reports have also been tabled, including proposals to restrict the implementation of the report to an experimental basis. The main proposal is for permanent adoption. Roscommon have framed a motion opposing the introduction of the calendar year in the National Football League.

Other motions relating to the football championship which were held over from last April's congress are to be taken although if the work group report is accepted, these will automatically fall.

The long-awaited GAA Anti-Doping Code is also up for approval. The code adopts the provisions of the International Olympic Committee and will be incorporated into the GAA's official guide. Croke Park had already agreed to the testing of players after this year's All-Ireland semi-finals although the provisions of the code hadn't been formally accepted.

In the end, the Irish Sports Council - the body, which will administer the tests - chose not to test in advance of the code's implementation.

A motion to introduce "blood substitutes" has been tabled. This procedure is simply to bring the GAA into line with other sports which allow temporary replacements for players who need medical attention for cuts and gashes.

Among the remaining proposals is one to extend the half-time break in senior intercounty matches from 10 minutes to 15 and one providing for a substitute zone for senior inter-county matches. This will operate as in International Rules which stipulates that all replacements must pass through a central zone and have their credentials checked by a linesman.

Liam Mulvihill, the GAA director general, explained that the corner of Croke Park between the New Stand and Canal End had been particularly wet on Sunday because it had been used as a roadway during construction earlier this year. As a result the ground became compacted and drainage will be affected for a while. The same problem is expected to occur next year between the Canal End and the Hogan Stand.

Sean McCague denied that he - or any other Croke Park official - had discussed the sale of television rights to TV3. Mulvihill clarified that the association's agents who are "looking at the whole process" would have had informal talks with all interested parties.

Meanwhile, Ireland's International Rules manager Brian McEniff has said that one of six Galway and Kerry players involved in the All-Ireland replay has indicated his willingness to join the panel for the first test, the day after the replay.

"One player has come to me and said `yes, I want to be involved'. But whether he'd be mentally and physically ready is a decision I'll have to take on the day before." McEniff said that he wouldn't be expanding his panel beyond the stand-by players already named.

Finally, after consultation with gardai it was announced that the All-Ireland final replay on Saturday week will start at 3.30 p.m.