Congress decisions/How the SRC recommendations fared: Over a weekend of unrelenting reverses for the GAA's outgunned progressive tendency, Laois delegate Anthony Delaney produced the pithiest summary: "Change isn't something that's going to come too handy here." Seán Moran reports

As one of congress's recidivist progressives, Delaney was hardly surprised by this but spare a thought for the chairman of the Strategic Review Committee, Peter Quinn.

Ten years ago he faced his second annual congress as president and in a defiant speech defended the traditional values that had underpinned the banning of the Dublin-Down match on the same bill as a Bohemians-Shamrock Rovers League of Ireland match. What became known as the "RDS affair" came to be perceived as characterising Quinn's presidency.

In the interim he has become gradually associated with a modernist trend within the GAA and that irony reached its zenith this weekend in the Burlington Hotel as Quinn forcefully advocated the cause of reform, as laid out in the SRC recommendations. But virtually every recommendation of substance was thrown out, referred to the Implementation Committee or just wearily withdrawn.

By the end when asked whether he would rather deal with congress than the parties he encounters in Drumcree as part of his work with the Northern Ireland Parades Commission, he paused and said: "I'd probably toss a coin." He acknowledged it hadn't been a great idea to run the motions concerning playing rules on the Friday night. This is an area in which the conservatives made a spectacular gain two years ago when a Tyrone motion forbidding even the discussion of playing rules changes for 10 years was accepted.

There is a mechanism by which this can be circumvented and that was triggered for the weekend's Special Congress. But the response was the same. No change.

The SRC report is not a perfect document or blueprint for change. Its presentation was hurried - one member of the committee acknowledges it could usefully have taken longer to draft - and the clarity of its focus on administrative reform could have been sharper. Instead the early publicity was devoured by the proposals to split Dublin into two county teams - a relatively peripheral recommendation, which was quickly dropped.

But no one could dispute the effort and quality of deliberation that went into the SRC's report. Yet in its patient gathering of information and rationally applied conclusions it was hard to fault its methodology. Many of the recommendations were house-keeping but there were radical measures.

The administrative ideas were always going to struggle. They were seen as threatening by the traditional power centres of Congress, Central Council and even, it was whispered, the Croke Park secretariat. So all of the proposals to strengthen the calibre of county committees, Central Council and the Management Committee came to nothing.

Of all these defeats, Quinn was most unhappy about the loss of motion 43 on the reform of management.

"The big issue for us was the new Management Committee. We got over 50 per cent but not the two thirds needed," said Quinn. "Of all the ones that was the disappointment. The other (defeats) were not quite peripheral but they weren't going to have a major impact this year or the year after."

It's likely he was putting a brave face on the weekend. The management proposal was an important attempt to give the president more say in its make-up and improve the decision-making effectiveness. One suggested provision got through, the restriction of county officials to five years. This means all officers will have to quit after that time - including the Central Council delegate.

Quinn didn't even bother putting the reform of Central Council to Congress, accurately anticipating the non-existent chances of its success.

But the biggest concern for the GAA has to be the archaic workings of congress itself. Asked wasn't this the biggest worry of the weekend, Quinn replied: "Congress doesn't believe it (the GAA) needs reform. Those of us who believe that it does could well be wrong. I happen to believe that we're not wrong. I feel that congress could do with a little bit more flexibility and a little bit more progressiveness. I don't want us to be taken over by conventional business or market forces but by the same token we have the best part of three billion euro worth of assets invested in various facilities."

Disillusion wasn't just that Congress rejected the vast majority of proposed reforms but the quality of the discussions was generally abysmal. There was a chronic negativity about many contributions, which led Dublin delegate Gerry Brady to remark: "I get the feeling that anything the SRC comes forward with gets knocked".

On a number of occasions it was obvious that speakers against recommendations weren't fully aware of the terms of the motion they were meant to be discussing.

Then there was the abysmal failure of the Special Congress drafting committee to give voice to the SRC proposals. Some motions were ruled out of order and a lot more should have been but instead GAA president SeáMcCague allowed running repairs to be made on motions so that they could be debated.

At the heart of much resistance to the recommended administrative reforms was the reluctance of delegates to draw reasonable distinctions between the representative and executive functions. Longford's John Greene argued against the removal of trustees and provincial delegates from Management Committee by saying it was "great that smaller counties got represented on Management" under the current system.

Ultimately Quinn is right. There are people who believe the GAA needs reform as a matter of urgency and there are people who disagree. But it is surely significant those in the former group include three of the last four presidents: the incumbent McCague, who established the SRC, his predecessor Joe McDonagh and Quinn himself.

The last two spent a lot of the weekend on their feet proposing the recommendations. It was an abiding image. Two former presidents speaking passionately about the need for reform and seeing their arguments knocked back time after time.

The GAA is now steaming towards the rocks. The crew, having spent a lot of money on charting a new route, simply refuse to let the ship change course.

Recommendations accepted

That a sideline official be appointed for all senior intercounty matches and that he or she control and monitor all substitutions.

That all senior intercounty panels may consist of 30 rather than 24 players.

Players under the age of 16 may not compete at more than one grade above their own age level.

Recognising a new intercounty close season (November and December) for purposes of disciplinary suspension.

Umpires and linesmen to bring referees' attention to foul play.

Creating an offence of feigning a foul or injury to achieve an advantage.

All knockout club competitions at under-age will if go to extra time if necessary rather than replay.

Amalgamating for administrative purposes the Secondary Schools Council and Vocational Schools Council.

Adopting a Code of Conduct for the protection of children.

Limiting to five years the term of office of county officers.

That each county must establish certain specified committees to cover: planning and physical Development; finance; information technology, county panel finance.

Clubs not represented on their county committee shall have at least two general meetings a year.

Accepting email as a regular form of communication.

Provincial councils to have monitoring and supervisory role over their constituent county committees.

Allowing voting rights to provincial council PROs.

The holding of Youth Congress every second rather than third year.

Players to have a representative on their club's executive.

Recommendations rejected

That motions to revise playing rules may be tabled every three years (rather than every 10).

That the National Football League be played as 13-a-side on an experimental basis in 2003 and 2004.

That six substitutes be allowed on a rolling, inter-change basis in senior intercounty matches.

That senior intercounty matches proceed while substitutions are made.

That no intercounty competitions be organised for age groups younger than 16.

That delegates to county committee be either club chairpersons or club secretaries.

That certain county officers - in charge of coaching, Irish language and development - be appointed on the basis of skills rather than elected.

That a county's representatives on provincial council be the county secretary and one other representative elected by county convention.

Reform of the Management Committee to include the chair of the Games Development Committee and Finance Committee plus two nominees of the president.

Re-designation of director general as chief executive.