The possibility of the GAA inter-county season being extended, to include a 2027 August football final, has failed as Motion 14 was withdrawn moments before a vote that likely would have resulted in a heavy defeat at Saturday's GAA Congress at Croke Park.
On a chaotic day at the home of the GAA, where an adjournment was called by president Jarlath Burns after anti-Allianz protestors broke into the main hall and held a banner behind the top table, the most high-profile motion failed to make it to vote.
The signs were ominous in the lead-up with a number of counties confirming to RTÉ Sport that they would be voting against the motion, brought forward by a working group chaired by former GAA director general Páraic Duffy.
If passed, the All-Ireland football final would have taken place on the second Sunday in August next year with the hurling decider on the last Sunday in July.
Counties had expressed concerns about the impact it would have on their club window while the fact that it would effectively kill off pre-season competitions also caused concern.
On the day, Duffy presented his findings but former president Seán Kelly, Connacht GAA's John Prenty, Galway's Paul Bellew, Wexford GAA's Michael Martin, Waterford's Brendan Tobin and Sean Óg McAteer of Down GAA all spoke of their opposition to it.
With a heavy defeat inevitable, Duffy requested the motion to be withdrawn, approved by Burns despite an appeal from Bellew for it to take place.
A number of motions did gain approval from delegates, however.
One of the tightest votes surrounded Motion 15.
It related to a requirement for counties obtain a high-performance licence, with a view to controlling the amount of money being spent by inter-county teams, to allow participation in the leagues and senior championships.
Unlike 23 of the 25 motions, it required 50% of the vote rather than 60% as a new rule, and passed with 59.1% in support.
Applying football's dissent rule to hurling, with the punishment of 30 metres instead of football’s 50, gained 95.1% in favour.
A motion to dispense with All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals, featuring Joe McDonagh Cup teams, also got the green light with 94.1% voting yes.
Meanwhile, a motion from the Tempo club in Fermanagh calling for the minor football and hurling finals to return to Croke Park as curtain-raisers to the All-Ireland senior finals faced heavy opposition on the floor and was soundly defeated.
The motion from the Clontarf club in Dublin proposing that you can only play for a county when you've played eight league or championship games for your club in the previous year was withdrawn after opposition, including from London GAA’s Tony O’Halloran who said "this motion has no place in our organisation."
Tom Parsons, of the GPA, said the motion was too blunt, but added that the players’ body would be willing to work to investigate it further.
A motion to have a representative from GAA Rounders on the Ard Chomharile sailed through with 98.3% of delegates voting in favour.
Watch Kildare v Meath in the Allianz Football League on Saturday from 6.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on the RTÉ News App and on rte.ie/sport. Listen to Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
Watch Allianz League Sunday from 9.35pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on all matches on the RTÉ News App and on rte.ie/sport. Listen to Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
