Seán Moran argues that while the GAA were right to punish Dublin and Tyrone severely over the Omagh incidents, they must make the CDC's rulings stick or face further turmoil.
For all the likelihood of appeals, yesterday's list of suspensions issued by the Central Disciplinary Committee (CDC) will raise few eyebrows. In the eyes of rational people the widespread disorder and indiscipline that marked the game between Tyrone and Dublin in Omagh had to prompt a serious response from the GAA's disciplinary structures.
That response is among the most severe handed down in terms of matches missed, a consequence of the continuing insistence on time-based suspensions rather than match bans.
For players to miss the rest of the league is a severe blow to both counties and will weigh against their ability to qualify for the play-offs as well as hampering the championship team building that is uppermost in managers' minds at this time of the year.
But what was done had to be done and for the CDC, the decisions lay down a marker as to how this type of misbehaviour should be dealt with. The most important aspects of the weekend's business, however, concern what happens next.
For a long time - possibly forever - the main complaints against the GAA's enforcement of discipline have concerned consistency of application both on the field in respect of refereeing decisions and off it when disciplinary committees meet to pass judgment and hand down suspensions.
The CDC is one of the primary new bodies in the GAA's reformed disciplinary processes. Its chief virtue has been that it is appointed largely by the president and not elected, as was the case with the old GAC, whose quality was entirely dependent on who the votes produced. Its first year is up in May and to date it deserves cautious commendation.
Its highest profile disappointments last year concerned the overturning of one of its decisions by the Disputes Resolution Authority (DRA) and the related decision by Central Council not to pursue Paul McGrane, which caused unhappiness within the CDC.
The Omagh incidents constituted the first opportunity for the committee to address these problems this year and they have responded with admirable rigour. But what it does from now on will be just as important. The last thing the GAA needs is for the Dublin and Tyrone players to become retrospective martyrs to a flash-in-the-pan series of what could be characterised as draconian suspensions.
The second vital aspect of what has happened is the extent to which it sticks. The CDC took a lot of care over their decision even to the point where referee Paddy Russell was asked to confirm he had not noted the conduct of the players who were being called in - so that the eventual decision wouldn't run foul of the DRA ruling last August, which created ambiguity over the power to suspend players for offences the referee has already dealt with even if his action is judged to be too lenient.
It's probable that the suspensions and fines will be appealed and whereas the CAC are unlikely to overturn the decisions there will be anxiety should the matter go to the DRA, that the punishments hold up. Otherwise the GAA are facing further disciplinary turmoil.
