The decision by the GAA to abandon the clock/hooter system has been heavily criticised by Eugene McGee.

The Longford man chaired the Football Review Committee which recommended that the system be used to take timekeeping out of the hands of referees.

Speaking to The Examiner, he said: "There were a list of reasons given (against the clock) and some of them were childish. There were schoolboy explanations.

"Two Congresses passed the clock (2010 and '13). Ladies football use the clock and it's generally recognised, as far as I can see, among the rank and file of GAA people that the clock is a great idea.

"The first reason against the idea was that we couldn't afford these clocks. There's been confusion, to use the word mildly, about the whole thing. Some people inside the inner circles of the GAA never wanted a clock - that's fairly obvious. Congress, in their wisdom, voted for it twice.

"The FRC, we just reinforced the desire, as we saw it through our surveys, to have a clock. A total of 80% wanted a clock (at inter-county level) so we put that in as a proposal, even though it had already been passed by Congress."

Clocks and hooters have already been installed at some county venues and McGee continued: "It defies logic what's going on. If you want to nitpick about any GAA rule, you can. It's much easier to stop a proposal than to get it passed. If the clock is to get overthrown on Saturday, it will mean there's been an incredible amount of lobbying done behind the scenes.

"It seems extraordinary when it's worked well with the women and in rugby. I still can't understand why this has all happened. The rank and file, by an overwhelming majority, wanted the clock."

McGee claims the clock/hooter would help eradicate timekeeping controversies which have marred high profile games in recent times.

"Two minutes is the average (injury-time). There's a lot of disrepute attached to that. There are constantly people, not just managers, complaining about time. The people watching on television are always surprised with the timing. That's been ignored.

"We're going to keep at that, in other words, if this motion goes through. We're going to accept the constant debates about timing. It does bring the GAA into disrepute."

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