GAA president Nickey Brennan is to take the radical step of addressing next Saturday's special congress on the subject of discipline.
Congress is due to discuss proposals for next year's senior hurling championship, but after a summer of anarchy on and off the pitch, the president has decided to make his feelings known on the subject as well as float some solutions.
It is a topic that has preoccupied the GAA more than any other and the whole disciplinary apparatus has been overhauled in recent years, but inaction and poor decision-making have created a situation in which the grossest misbehaviour is going unpunished.
There have been several high-profile incidents during the recent championship season and Brennan has clearly had enough.
"I'm going to take the somewhat unusual step of addressing the special congress specifically on that issue on Saturday. I'm not going to say anything about it now and it's not usual for a president to be addressing special congress, but I will be doing that on Saturday, on one subject, and that is discipline and issues that have arisen this summer.
"I'm not just going to talk for the sake of talking. I'm going to explain the problems we have and I'm going to be suggesting solutions to them and I'm going to put a time frame on when these will need to be implemented.
"I'm making this address because I'm concerned and I'll be far more specific on Saturday."
As well as the failure of the structures to guarantee consistent punishment, the GAA hierarchy is unhappy with the lengths to which counties go to assist players in evading the consequences of misbehaviour.
"You can have all the rules and regulations you like," said Brennan, "but if people continually have a problem with the spirit of them, that's a difficulty. I'll be referring to that."
On the scheduled subject matter of the special congress, the president accepted that proposing yet more structural changes to the hurling championship less than six months after previously agreeing a format that will now never see the light of day is a slight embarrassment for the association. But, he said, the alterations had come about through consultation and discussion.
He also stated the desired eight-team Division One of the NHL would have to wait until counties were satisfied with the means of selection.
"I can't argue that we're open to criticism, but there has been a genuine feedback with regard to restructuring the championship and the league. While going back to eight is what some people want to see happening, the process by which you get to that needs to be a bit fairer."
It was also disclosed that the Club Fixtures and Burnout reports - to be discussed at another special congress - are to be launched next month, but the special congress to discuss their recommendations may not be convened until the new year.
Another topic for consideration will be the next report of the Rule Book Task Force, which has been looking at disciplinary matters from the perspective of on-field implementation of the playing rules.
"They're dealing with disciplinary aspects of the playing rules, like black books, yellow cards and how they're applied and used. There are some aspects that will be discussed at Management Committee this weekend. We're trying to tidy up the way discipline is applied on the field rather than change the playing rules."
The president also reiterated the GAA's opposition to the proposed player-welfare grants being channelled through infrastructural grants - with Croke Park making the player payments - and expressed his hope that talks on a possible resumption of the International Rules series might take place within the next few weeks, as AFL officials are expected to visit the rugby World Cup in France.
