The GAA has denied a newspaper report that it is opposed to out-of-competition drug tests. According to Pat Daly, who as secretary of the Medical Work Group is the GAA's anti-doping officer, the association has accepted the principle.

"It's ridiculous to say that we're opposed to out-of-competition testing," he said. "We're on a steep learning curve and will be taking it step by step.

"Policy will evolve and facilities will come on stream, but we would hope to place the emphasis on deterrents rather than punishment. But we've told the Sports Council that we'll be fully supporting their programme."

Daly was responding to the a report in the Sunday Tribune that the GAA and the Irish Sports Council were on a "collision course" over the issue of out-of-competition testing.

Una May, executive of the Irish Sports Council's Anti-Doping Programme, said that the ISC wasn't aware of any dispute on the issue with Croke Park.

"It's not that they won't co-operate," she said, "but a matter of establishing a timescale. We haven't put down a deadline for all sports. Olympic sports have been prioritised for next year but we eventually intend that everyone will have procedures in place for the purposes of funding.

"One of the reasons why we make allowances for the GAA is that testing isn't totally straightforward for them. There's no national squad; top players are county players and that's a large pool. The GAA will have to sit down and put thought into the logistics of keeping track of the whereabouts of all these players."

In-competition testing has already been conducted on GAA players in Ulster over the last eight years under the auspices of the Northern Ireland Sports Council. This would not pose a major problem for the GAA although there would be some administrative problems.

"We have to set out a code which covers all contingencies," said Daly "and then get the approval of Central Council, run it past solicitors and then have it passed by Congress. Then we have to satisfy ourselves that all counties are prepared - which will involve a fairly elaborate educational process - for how all of this operates."

There are a number of difficulties surrounding out-of-competition testing: firstly, the emotional or cultural objection to having players tested at their workplace; secondly, the maintenance of a register of all intercounty players (presumably senior intercounty competitors) and a record of their whereabouts at all times; thirdly the potential reluctance of amateur players - who must combine playing and working for a living - to steer clear of common medications containing banned substances.

In answer to the first reservation, May pointed out that home-testing is the more conventional procedure. "Basically anyone who's tied into a sample-testing programme can be asked at any time out of competition, but the preference is to conduct tests at the person's home."

The administrative difficulties may take a while to resolve, but they are not insurmountable. They will probably require a permanent secretariat to maintain up-to-date records. The third argument is really part of the first and concerns the cultural reservation about the surrender of privacy which is part and parcel of drug testing.

Yet Daly remains confident that the process of education and acclimatisation will be successful. Comprehensive in-competition testing he expects to be finalised in time for next year's championships.

"Assuming there are no legal hold-ups we should be ready in June or July of next year. In other words it (in-competition testing) should come into force for next year's championship."

Although he acknowledges that preparing the ground for out-of-competition testing will take longer, he is confident it will happen.

"We have to define what is out-of-competition testing. For instance, do National League matches or club championship matches count? What players are covered by the provisions of doping control?

"There are a lot of areas which are very vague and this will be our first time dealing with them. For instance I couldn't see it extending to under-21s or the testing of juniors.

"There's no question of out-of-competition testing not being implemented. It's a matter of agreeing the mechanisms."